PET Food Processing - March 2019 - 45

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

COLLECTIVE
EFFORT

An expanding network of renderers, pet food
processors, suppliers and academia joined forces to
identify impactful solutions to industry challenges.

By Jennifer Semple | jsemple@sosland.com

Over the past two years, individuals representing various
sectors of the pet food and rendering industries have met
twice a year to collaborate on some of the challenges and
opportunities they see for these industries. This began at
Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado,
in December 2017 at the first meeting of the Pet Food
Alliance (PFA). This past January, about 85 members of
PFA gathered in Colorado where CSU's Department of
Animal Sciences hosted the PFA Winter Meeting.
PFA has been funded in large part by the Fats and
Protein Research Foundation, whose mission is to
fund research that helps ensure a strong future for the
rendering industry and its industry partners. "It was a
natural connection for the rendering industry and the
pet food industry to join forces to get better and they've
done that quite successfully during the past two years
through PFA," said Jennifer Martin, Ph.D., assistant professor, Center for Meat Safety and Quality, Department
of Animal Sciences at CSU. Martin kicked off the winter
meeting with a little history on PFA.

and all players should be at the table. "It makes sense
that if we're going to conduct research that benefits both
the pet food and the rendering industries, then bring everyone together and discuss the challenges and opportunities and come up with ideas that can be explored to
generate solutions," Martin said.
Initially, attendees identified a few important challenges facing both
industries and, out
of that effort, working groups were
established to explore opportunities
for addressing these
challenges. Currently the PFA working groups are addressing three concerns: Salmonella and product
safety; sustainability of the pet food and rendering industries and consumer perception; and oxidation and
product quality.

At the table

According to Martin, research and networking have consistently been what members hope to gain from attending the PFA meetings. Each meeting has provided time
for building new relationships and enhancing those that
already exist. "This network started with a core group of
people very committed to making PFA successful and as
it has continued growing the network has gotten bigger
and the relationships are even stronger," Martin said. "I
think long-term that's going to have a very important
impact on our industries."
The momentum seems to be growing on this collaborative effort focused on the betterment of the pet food
and rendering industries. In addition to a new website,
PFA will have a new meeting format the next time it
convenes June 26-28, 2019. The location has not yet been
announced. More information on PFA can be found at
https://fprfalliance.agsci.colostate.edu/.
PFP

This alliance for research and innovation in the pet
food and rendering industries started with around 30
members and has grown to more than 100. One of the
fundamental components of the PFA originally was to
not only combine members of the pet food industry
and the rendering industry but combine efforts with
the academic communities that have interests in these
industries as well. "The overarching goals of the alliance
are to develop additional collaborations within the pet
food industry, increase the funding resources and most
importantly expand ideas - explore both the issues and
also the opportunities that may exist from the challenges
that we face," Martin said.
She explains that there were two pivotal ideas that led
to the development of PFA: research should be guided
by industry input to develop implementable solutions;

Gaining momentum

www.petfoodprocessing.net | March 2019 | PET FOOD PROCESSING

https://fprfalliance.agsci.colostate.edu/ http://www.petfoodprocessing.net

PET Food Processing - March 2019

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