Why pet food producers need reliable ingredient partners

The international pet food market has gone into an epoch of rapid expansion as the number of pets is increasing, as well as consumers moving towards healthier and higher-end diets for their pets. These trends have compelled pet food producers towards seeking superior ingredients, transparency, and sourcing partners, particularly of protein-rich raw materials, in dog and cat food.

Current nutritional and safety regulations like AAFCO and FEDIAF also mandate manufacturers of pet food to use consistent input materials that prove to satisfy the nutrient profile and traceability. Meanwhile, competition in the market gives producers the obligation to minimize costs without loss of quality. This renders sourcing of ingredients a strategic operation and not just another procurement operation.

Suppliers such as Vietfeeds, which are found in the immediate regions of the major aquaculture and agricultural regions of Vietnam, are important in this environment because they supply stable, nutritional, and competitively priced raw materials that are manufactured to fit pet food formulation requirements.

What pet food producers need in 2026

High-quality proteins with full traceability

Protein is still the foundation of pet food nutrition, particularly in dogs and cats. Pet food producers are putting pressure on high-quality, highly digestible, stable nutrients and verifiable sources of animal proteins. Fish meal (60-65% protein), shrimp meal, squid meal, and other marine-based constituents are some of the common proteins. 

Such materials are to satisfy very stringent requirements, including low ash content, a uniform degree of moisture, and microbiological purity. Tracing back to the raw material collection to the processing is now a mandatory requirement as opposed to a value addition option.

Plant-based ingredients for cost optimization

To create a balance between cost and performance, most manufacturers combine plant-based ingredients that include the following: rice bran, broken rice, corn cob powder, and cassava products. These constituents assist in optimal balance between energy and cost, and reduction of undesirable texture and extrusion characteristics, and palatability. The agricultural output of Vietnam is the same throughout the year, thus these plant inputs are more price and availability stable compared to other sourcing markets.

Functional ingredients that improve digestibility and palatability

Recent pet food recipes utilize functional ingredients that aid in gut health, boost immunity, and overall feed intake. Some of the main inputs encompass brewer yeast (source of prebiotics, B-vitamins), sources of natural fibers like pineapple residue or corn cob, and flavonoid sources to enhance flavor. They are needed in high-quality and super-premium products when the brand value is directly linked to animal health, and when the results are obtained.

Sourcing challenges pet food producers commonly face

Price volatility in animal-based ingredients

Animal protein sources, particularly fish meal, shrimp meal, and other marine-based meals, are highly seasonally and market-based volatile in terms of price. In the case of pet food producers, such volatility has a direct impact on the cost of formulation, profitability, and stability of product prices. This has made it more important to enter into long-term and predictable supply contracts as a way of staying competitive.

Inconsistent quality across different suppliers

Change of nutrients, moisture, ash, or freshness is a big issue for manufacturers. Minor variations in protein content (i.e., ±5 percent) can upset formulations, impact extrusion performance, or decrease product palatability. The other issue that many producers are facing is the fragmented supplier networks in which the raw materials are scrappy with numerous suppliers, such that it becomes hard to ensure consistency.

Limited transparency in origin and processing methods

Global pet food manufacturing is now a feature that requires traceability, which many ingredient suppliers lack, particularly in developing countries, where documentation or standardized testing is weak. Regulatory risks and product recalls can be caused by the absence of COA information, the absence of clarity on how the item is produced, or missing microbial and toxin tests. Suppliers of pet food are also in high demand by producers of pet food, who want them to supply complete documentation and transparency of each shipment.

Vietnam is a growing supply hub for global pet food producers

Vietnam is the major producer of aquaculture in the world, with great quantities of fish, shrimp, and squid by-products that are used to manufacture pet food. Such materials as fish meal, shrimp meal, and squid meal can be prepared all year round because of the strong industry of processing seafood in the country. This uninterrupted supply enables pet food producers to obtain a fixed protein supply during the peak world demand.

The Vietnamese raw materials can be compared to provide a better price-to-value factor compared to raw materials sourced in Thailand, Indonesia, or India. Proximity to production areas, reduced logistics, and high supply of the same assist in keeping the price low. Vietnam has emerged as a sourcing destination of growing interest to manufacturers of pet food that have to juggle between quality nutrition and affordability.

In addition to aquatic proteins, Vietnam is abundant in various agricultural by-products, which are suitable for present-day pet food patterns. Functional fiber, energy, or cost efficiency sources of carbohydrates are found in staples like rice bran, broken rice, cassava chips, cassava pellets, corn cob powder, and pineapple residue. These inputs are stable and with low seasonality, which means that the production is stable in the country, and manufacturers can keep product prices and quality steady.

How Vietfeeds supports pet food producers with a reliable ingredient supply

Vietfeeds accesses raw materials directly in the large aquacultural and agricultural areas in Vietnam, which include fish processing centers, shrimp production facilities, and crop production fields. This direct contact with producers nullifies an inevitable middleman, and it enables the pet food manufacturers to acquire ingredients at a much more competitive cost, as well as ensuring that there is a supply year-round.

Manufacturers of pet foods put quality and consistency as a key concern. In order to satisfy these requirements, Vietfeeds has a rigorous quality-control measure that involves nutrient testing, microbial testing, checking of moisture, and physical inspections before shipment. Every order will have a detailed Certificate of Analysis (COA), with all information on protein content, ash, fat content, and safety indicators, making sure that the manufacturers are able to comply with AAFCO/FEDIAF requirements.

Vietfeeds has a targeted set of ingredients that meet the nutritional and functional requirements of manufacturers of dog and cat food:

• Sources of protein: fish meal (6065%), shrimp meal, squid meal.
• Functional ingredients: brewer yeast, corn cob powder, pineapple residue.
• Breaking rice, rice bran, cassava chips, and pellets are the cost-optimization ingredients.
• This portfolio is in favor of both premium and value-based formulations.

Vietfeeds provides the flexibility of the packaging options to have a streamlined procurement: 2550 kg PP woven bags or jumbo bags with bulk shipment. The logistics department does all the exportation processes, such as CO, Phytosanitary, Health Certificates, fumigation, and international shipping arrangements, to make the supply chain smooth and predictable for global pet food producers.