ARLINGTON, VA. — The American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) released its latest Pet Food Report, examining the use and economic impact of more than 600 ingredients used in the pet food and treat industry. The AFIA supported this research as part of its mission to provide the public and policymakers with a clear understanding on how US pet food manufacturers collaborate with farmers, renderers, local bakeries and distilleries and others within the food community to create high-quality and nutritious food for US pets.
According to the report, US retail sales of dog and cat food reached $51.7 billion, representing about 9.8 million tons of product sold. Among the endless amounts of pet food products, the category continues to be led by dry dog food with 5.4 million tons sold (accounting for 55% of total tons sold), representing $19.7 billion (accounting for 38% of total sales).
The pet food industry continues to help stimulate the overall agricultural economy, contributing to billions in ingredient sales, according to the report. $13.2 billion worth of farm products were sold to pet food processors, leading to an overall value of $17.4 billion in economic activity throughout the supply chain, from farmers to suppliers.
By examining retail product labels, the report found that there are 602 standardized food ingredients used in dog and cat foods. Of this, 282 are shared by both cat and dog products. Overall, the industry used 9.28 million tons of food ingredients, a value of $13.2 billion. About 4.1 million tons ($8.5 billion worth) of these ingredients were from farm sources, 6.4 million tons ($8.5 billion worth) were from animal-based sources, and 440,461 tons ($881,000 worth) of water.
Animal protein ingredients represented the largest amount of all ingredients used by the industry at 275 ingredients, followed by specialty products (like fruits, vegetables and others) at 155 ingredients, plant carbohydrates at 80 ingredients, plant proteins at 49 ingredients, plant fats at 24 ingredients, animal fats at 13 ingredients, and lastly plant fats and carbohydrate ingredients at five ingredients.
Examining the meat-based ingredients, IFEEDER found that the industry used about 2.5 million tons ($4.7 billion) of meat and poultry products, 1.6 million tons ($1 billion) of protein meals and fats, 502,013 tons ($3.5 billion) of marine products, and 184,737 tons ($554 million) of broth ingredients.
Overall, chicken and chicken-based ingredients were the most commonly used ingredients by weight, with 2.21 million tons used in 2024, followed by grains at 1.84 million tons, milled grains at 1.59 million tons, beef and beef products at 1.26 million tons, and lastly marine ingredients at 502,013 tons.
By value, marine products held the most value used in 2024 at $3.5 billion, followed by beef and beef products at $2.44 billion, chicken and chicken products at $1.8 billion, milled grain products at $1.1 billion, and lastly grains at $903 million.
Additionally, the report examined the leading state producers of pet foods. Currently it’s estimated that there are 518 pet food manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, with 43 out of 50 states having a facility. According to the report, the leading states with the most pet food manufacturing facilities are Michigan and Minnesota tied with 27 facilities, Nebraska with 25, Missouri with 24, Kansas with 21, and North Carolina and California tied with 19 manufacturing facilities.
The leading states of farm and farm-product processing sales to pet food manufacturers are Missouri with $1.6 billion in sales, Kansas with $1.4 billion, Pennsylvania with $1 billion, Iowa with $821 million and California with $739 million in sales. Other states with purchases more than $350 million include Nebraska, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, Illinois and Ohio.
