Arlington, Va, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) premiered a new video series today, intended to showcase the depth, breadth and diversity of the $267.1 billion U.S. animal food manufacturing industry. The videos encapsulate the important role that the over 5,600 U.S. animal food manufacturers play each day in improving livestock health and production, supporting food security and driving American ingenuity and economic progress abroad.
“Americans want to know more about their food, from its ingredients to where the crops are grown that feed livestock and poultry to the specific farms that produce their meat, milk, eggs and fish, yet there is a common misconception that animal feed is simply corn and soybeans. It is so much more,” said AFIA President and Chief Executive Officer Constance Cullman. “With AFIA’s new video series, we are inviting Americans to see into the heart and soul of animal food manufacturing – letting them learn firsthand how innovative research and development, efficient business practices, safety and quality checks and partnerships with local retailers and farmers are cooked into each morsel animals eat. Viewers will feel the sense of pride that the industry’s over 80,000 American workers bring to work each day and will be confident in knowing that the U.S. food system boasts one of the safest, most abundant and sustainable food supplies in the world.”
The first video in the three-part series provides an overview of the U.S. animal food industry, showcasing its size and scope, the variety of technologies and products available and how research and development, sustainability and safety are instilled in the final animal food product. In 3 minutes, it communicates these messages using a combination of high-definition video footage and meticulously crafted animation.
The second video takes the storyline deeper, diving into the unique advantages of U.S. feed ingredients, including how precise animal nutrition is helping farmers and ranchers bridge nutrition gaps and amplify animal vitality, while ensuring efficient and quality food production and supporting public health. In under 3 minutes, it discusses the stringent federal regulations that U.S. animal food manufacturers must adhere to along with the ways manufacturers go above and beyond to help ensure that product safety and biosecurity measures are followed through such voluntary programs as the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program.
The third fully animated video details how the U.S. animal food industry is working to be a solution-provider to U.S. farmers and ranchers and foreign policymakers and regulators aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of animal production agriculture. It includes key explanations of concepts such as “circularity,” which state, federal and international decision-makers use when discussing solutions to address food waste and inefficient practices. In February, the Institute for Feed Education and Research issued a report that found that nearly 37% of all feed ingredients (excluding harvested forages and roughages) come from coproducts and byproducts that would otherwise go to landfill.
The video series also includes several video shorts for use in social media, breaking down key concepts from the other videos into bite-size pieces. All videos can be found on afia.org/industryvideos.
“I am excited for our legislative, regulatory and global policy teams to begin using these videos in their Feed 101 educational sessions with federal regulators and policymakers, as well as with foreign governments and international delegations,” Cullman said. “We are proud to serve as the animal food industry’s voice in conversations with stakeholders, and now we can bring our message to life with powerful visuals.”
The AFIA contracted LAI Video, based in Washington, D.C., to produce the video series following a competitive bidding process. The video series is made possible, in part, due to federal funding the AFIA received in May 2024 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). The USDA initiated the $1.2 billion RAPP program in October 2023 with the goal of developing new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products, extending beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China.
The AFIA thanks several member companies and their staff for offering their facilities for the video shoots: Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition™, Cargill and Star Blends, LLC.
CONTACT: Victoria Broehm American Feed Industry Association vbroehm@afia.org
