IFEEDER Newsletter: Volume 9, Issue 6

June 11, 2024

Life Cycle Assessments: A 'Must Have Now' or a 'Don't Need Yet'?

A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic analysis of the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life. They can be used to analyze the environmental load attributed to a product, usually with an aim to prioritize improvements or compare between products for internal decisions. There is much focus on a single element of the LCA – the carbon footprint. And, some downstream elements in the animal food supply chain are beginning to ask for LCAs for feed and pet food products. 

To better understand the state of expectation, the Institute for Feed Education and Research, in collaboration with the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, is undertaking an effort to survey and speak to U.S. and Canadian animal food industry members regarding their perspectives and needs on LCAs. Importantly, we do not simply want to speak to members that have completed LCAs for some of their products; we want to hear from members who are considering LCAs and from those that do not have them on their radar.

Our goal is to understand the status, drivers and needs so that we may develop supportive resources.

Only you can help us help the industry. Your input will help us understand if LCAs are something that are a 'must have now' or a 'do not need yet.'

If you, or a member of your organization, are willing to participate in a survey or interview to support our efforts, please let me know!

IFEEDER’s Strategic Plan: Progress Update

In 2022, IFEEDER finalized a strategic plan in support of our mission to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain through education and research. Since then, we have been focused on three goals in support of the mission:

1. Become a recognized resource used by the industry and other stakeholders.
2. Pursue research outcomes to inform and support a sustainable animal food industry.
3. Broaden funding to support IFEEDER’s research and education initiatives.

With help from IFEEDER’s Board of Trustees, our project advisory groups, our education and research committee, American Feed Industry Association members and staff and other collaborative partners, we’ve made great progress on those goals. 

As a recognized resource, in the 2023-24 fiscal year, IFEEDER was invited to participate in 14 podcasts or video interviews and 18 conference presentations, and components of the sustainability toolkit were downloaded over 160 times. In pursuit of research, we have three, externally funded grants underway in collaboration with a collective of 10 non-feed stakeholder organizations. Plus, IFEEDER has several projects funded by direct resources from industry. Regarding broadened funding support, since 2021, we have increased the number of annual individual and corporate donors by 55% and 57%, respectively. And, we increased general contributions by 82% over our last fiscal year. 

IFEEDER’s strategic plan is our guide map to pursue our mission, and it is working.

Do You Use the Pet Food Report? What About the Ingredient Consumption Report?

IFEEDER has two important animal food industry projects getting underway this month. Over the next four-to-six months, we’ll be working with Decision Innovation Solutions to update the 2020 pet food report and the 2021 ingredient consumption report. Both are important data sources for industry members and stakeholders. The pet food report will use purchased sales data to assess ingredient use, economic value of those ingredients on the farm and the circular aspects of dog and cat food rations. The broader feed ingredient consumption report will evaluate the use of over 47 ingredients across the animal production sector, including equine and aquaculture. 

IFEEDER is sharing costs for both projects with collaborating organizations, but we still need your help to fund IFEEDER’s portion of the effort.

If you’d like to contribute to either (or both) of these reports, please let me know!

Ingredient Data Request: Nutrient Requirements for Swine Report

We are pleased that the expert panel writing the 12th Nutrient Requirements of Swine report is actively seeking ingredient composition data from the feed industry to inform its upcoming edition. This comes after IFEEDER, a project sponsor, provided industry considerations for the report and emphasized the importance of engaging the animal feed industry throughout the process to create a more comprehensive and actionable resource. Alongside traditional nutrients, the panel is interested in data related to environmental sustainability and additional fiber components. For those interested in contributing primary data, know that all submitted data will be kept confidential and not be disclosed individually. Submissions are due by Saturday, June 15 and instructions can be obtained by emailing swineinfo@iastate.edu.

IFEEDER FODDER

Click the links below to read the latest posts on the IFEEDER Fodder blog. 

Perspectives on a Year of Growth

By: Mike Gauss

As I close out my term as chair of the IFEEDER Board of Trustees, I am filled with pride and gratitude for the incredible accomplishments of our entire team. IFEEDER has truly become a trusted resource for the animal food industry and our stakeholders. Let’s take a moment to reflect on our successes and recognize the areas where the team has made significant impacts.