Petfood Forum focused on personalisation, AI-enabled automation, and the shifting expectations

Petfood Forum 2026 wrapped up its three-day run in Kansas City, Missouri end of April as the pet food sector's largest annual gathering, bringing together professionals from more than 40 countries for a dense programme of education, research and trade.

The numbers reflect the event's scale: More than 375 exhibiting suppliers, 47 expert speakers, 2 keynote sessions, 24 Tech Talks on the expo floor, and 16 academic research abstracts presented by students from pet food-related university programmes. More than 100 professionals took part in Women in Petfood Leadership networking activities, and a dedicated pre-conference day — Petfood Essentials — offered five focused sessions on pet food production optimisation.

Central themes this year were personalisation, AI-enabled automation, and the shifting expectations of today's pet owner. On the science side, sessions covered topics ranging from postbiotics and the gut-brain axis in dogs to digital quality control tools and food safety strategies for legacy manufacturing plants — a broad agenda that underlined how technically diverse the sector has become.

The event also had a softer side: in partnership with PawsAbilities and Polk County Humane Society, five puppies were brought to the show by Missouri State University students — and all five found new homes during the event.

Petfood Forum 2027 is already confirmed for 26–28 April at the Kansas City Convention Center. More information at www.petfoodforumevents.com.