ALIGNING ON SUSTAINABILITY
Because of its position within the supply chain, animal food has an important role in helping reduce the environmental footprint of our downstream stakeholders. Yet, animal food ingredients and additives remain one of the least measured and documented sustainability components within the U.S. food supply chain. The animal feed and pet food industry is working to change this with partners across the animal food value chain.
With a mission to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain, the Institute for Feed Education and Research is collaborating with industry members and stakeholders on a multifaceted strategy to advance feed systems sustainability.
Sustainability Road Map: Central to IFEEDER’s sustainability strategy, we are partnering with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and its members to develop a Sustainability Road Map for the animal food sector. The road map is a pivotal component of IFEEDER’s efforts to provide guidance and equip industry members with tools and resources to advance their own sustainability journeys.
Stakeholder Engagement: As IFEEDER advances sustainability outcomes for the animal food sector, it’s important that we hear from our industry members as well as stakeholders up and down the value chain. The Feed Systems Sustainability Summit offers an opportunity to discuss opportunities and barriers that will help us catalyze action.
Research: Informing, advancing and implementing solutions is a long-term approach, but one that elicits positive outcomes. Through our research, we seek to create tangible outcomes and cultivate relationships that are valued by feed and pet food industry members and stakeholders.
Consumer Messaging: Sustainability is driven by both science and emotion, and consumer and industry perspectives are not often aligned. As a key stakeholder in the food supply chain, we bear the responsibility of clearly and transparently communicating our role and solutions.
Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI): Animal food ingredient and feed additive life cycle analysis (LCA) is key to production transparency needs. Working with the AFIA, IFEEDER seeks to utilize GFLI resources in a harmonized strategy for information exchange within animal food supply chains.
Insights into Sustainability
In collaboration with The Context Network, IFEEDER generated the following three-part on-demand webinar series to explore definitional complexities of sustainability, food supply chain transparency expectations and the opportunities in the carbon market opportunities.
Defining Sustainability
Short 8-minute Highlights Video Full 27-minute Deep Dive
Downstream Expectations
Short 13-minute Highlights Video Full 25-minute Deep Dive
Agricultural Carbon