Pet Food Manufacturers Feed America’s Pets and Agricultural Economy

New research finds that U.S. pet food manufacturers provide balanced, safe meals for America’s dogs and cats, and also stimulate the overall agricultural economy.

The Institute for Feed Education and Research, North American Renderers Association, and Pet Food Institute released a new the jointly funded report Wednesday. The research found that through the purchase of ingredients, labor and services from related industries, the $30 billion pet food industry gives back to the agricultural economy by using 8.65 million tons of animal- and plant-based ingredients for dog and cat food to provide the nutrition that pets need, at a value of $6.9 billion.

The data shows that pet food manufacturers use an estimated 3.8 million tons of animal-based products, such as rendered products or meat and poultry. Pet food manufacturers also use 4 million tons of farm and farm-product processor ingredients, such as grains, soy products and fruits and vegetables, and approximately 200,000 tons of seafood products. Many of these ingredients are left over from making food for people.

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