IFEEDER Adds New Resource to Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit

July 22, 2024

In its mission-driven work to provide the U.S. animal food industry with tools to support industry members in developing and advancing internal sustainability programs, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) has added new materials to its Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit. The new resource defines 16 material issue areas identified as important for consideration in animal food industry sustainability efforts.

"As the animal food industry continues to navigate the complex landscape of sustainability, the need for well-defined, actionable guidance has never been more important," said Lara Moody, IFEEDER executive director. "This new resource addresses that need by describing the scope of each issue in conjunction with real-world examples underway within the industry."

In phase one of its Sustainability Road Map project, IFEEDER identified 16 key issues that are material to the animal food industry and its stakeholders. These issues span three main pillars: People, Planet and Governance. The new, comprehensive resource, launched today, offers detailed descriptions of each issue, insights into its potential value to the industry and illustrative examples from industry members that highlight the tangible benefits of addressing these issues. The materials developed through this project will be added to the toolkit and are also available for all animal food industry stakeholders on IFEEDER’s website.

IFEEDER’s Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit, initially launched in 2023, aims to provide business leaders within the animal feed and pet food industry with practical resources for developing their internal sustainability programs, responding to stakeholders’ requests and communicating their sustainability stories. The complete toolkit is available for free to American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) members and IFEEDER donors on IFEEDER’s website and available for purchase to nonmembers in AFIA's Online Store.

This project was completed in collaboration with animal food industry members and students at Iowa State University, led by Kurt Rosentrater, Ph.D., professor in the department of agriculture biosystems and engineering. IFEEDER also thanks Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Kent Nutrition Group for their generous support of this project.

To access these resources or learn about this project, visit ifeeder.org/materialissues. IFEEDER will continue to add industry examples to this resource as they are made available. Those interested in contributing to this project, or future sustainability-related topics, are invited to contact IFEEDER at ifeeder.org/contact.