Petfood Forum 2026 will take place April 27-29, 2026, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. In addition to the annual conference and exhibition, the event will feature two co-located programs on April 27: the AAFCO SRIS Introductory Workshop and the Petfood Ingredient Buyers Mission.
"As pet food professionals from around the world gather in Kansas City for Petfood Forum, co-located events provide additional opportunities for regulatory education, technical learning and international networking," said Steve Akins, executive vice president, global petfood and events, WATT Global Media.
Pet Food Ingredient Buyers Mission
Food Export Midwest and the Kansas Department of Agriculture will host the Petfood Ingredient Buyers Mission in conjunction with Petfood Forum on April 27. The program connects qualified international pet food ingredient buyers with U.S. ingredient suppliers. Participating buyers have expressed sourcing interest in pet food ingredients, value-added feed ingredients, and feed additives and supplements.
Buyers from seven countries are participating in 2026: Canada, China, Guatemala, the Republic of Korea, Panama, Thailand and Vietnam.
Click here for more information.
AAFCO SRIS Introductory Workshop
The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) will host a 2.5-hour introductory workshop on its Scientific Review for Ingredient Submission (SRIS) pathway from 2-4:30 p.m. CT on April 27, developed in collaboration with Kansas State University Olathe.
The workshop will cover the SRIS process and its place within the broader landscape of ingredient approval pathways. Presenters include:
- The SRIS process: Austin Therrell, AAFCO executive director; Garret Ashabranner, SRIS project manager, Kansas State Olathe; and Haley Larson, SRIS director and scientific lead, Kansas State Olathe
- Ingredient approval landscape: George Ferguson, AFC Regulatory Services, LLC; and Kristi Smedley, Center for Regulatory Services, Inc.
- Industry perspectives on SRIS: Representatives from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the North American Renderers Association (NARA)
The SRIS program offers scientific assessment of new animal food ingredients intended to be accepted by state regulators across the U.S. AAFCO says the process evaluates prospective ingredients at twice the speed of traditional methods while maintaining scientific standards and transparency.
The registration fee is $50. AAFCO members who register for Petfood Forum and/or Petfood Essentials are eligible for a 50% discount. Interested members may contact [email protected] for details.
For more information or to register for the 2026 AAFCO SRIS Introductory Workshop, click here.
Petfood Forum and Petfood Essentials show dates are April 27-29, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. To register or stay informed on the latest event developments, go to PetfoodForumEvents.com.
