Council Introduces U.S. Sorghum To Chinese Pet Food Industry At Pet Fair Asia

The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) recently participated in Pet Fair Asia 2026 in Shanghai, China to showcase U.S. sorghum to pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, distributors and other industry professionals in the country.

USGBC Senior Program Coordinator Linda Li and USGBC Administration and Compliance Coordinator Evelyn Li represented the Council at the event, which is one of the largest pet industry exhibitions in Asia, attracting more than 2,600 exhibitors and over 130,000 trade visitors.

"China's pet food industry continues to expand and diversify, creating opportunities to introduce new ingredients and nutritional concepts to manufacturers and consumers," Li said.

"Sorghum, however, is not yet commonly used in commercial pet food production in China, making industry awareness and product demonstration important first steps toward potential future adoption."

Li introduced the Council and discussed U.S. sorghum's applications in pet food during her presentation at the USA Pavilion Introduction Session. The pavilion showcased U.S. agricultural products and was attended by U.S. Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing Michael Francom, U.S. Consul General in Shanghai Christian Marchant and U.S. Agricultural Trade Office Director in Shanghai Alex Blamberg.

To demonstrate how sorghum can be incorporated into a finished pet food product, the Council supplied 1.5 metric tons of U.S. sorghum to produce approximately 2,000 bags of dog food for free distribution at the show.

The finished product contained approximately 21 percent sorghum after processing losses, giving industry participants and pet owners a tangible example of sorghum's potential use in pet food.

"While commercial adoption of sorghum in China's pet food industry will require continued technical engagement with manufacturers and nutrition professionals, our participation here provided an important first step in building customer familiarity with sorghum and demonstrating its application in an actual pet food product," Li said.

Learn more about the Council's work in China on the organization's website.