ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S. — The 2011 International Feed Expo (IFE), organized by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) in conjunction with the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s International Poultry Expo, which concluded on Jan. 28, featured a series of speakers and educational programs and more than 900 exhibitors displayed the latest in products and technologies that are beneficial to the feed, pet food and poultry industries.

AFIA noted that the IFE and related events were attended by more than 20,000 visitors from over 100 different countries. AFIA’s noted its booth this year emphasized the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, the Institute for Feed Education & Research and AFIA’s representation of the pet food industry.

"This year's Expo offered attendees a range of substantive programming and events to make their time in Atlanta as compelling as possible, on top of the hundreds of exhibits on the show floor," said Joel G. Newman, AFIA president and chief executive officer.

AFIA said that conference attendees received regulatory and legislative updates from industry leaders and key federal decision-makers as well as gained knowledge and insight during the IFE and related educational programs.

AFIA’s Pet Food Committee and USPOULTRY’s Poultry Protein & Fat Council organized and sponsored the 4th Annual Pet Food Conference, and AFIA also hosted the International Education Forum during the week-long event. These offerings complemented the additional educational opportunities offered by USPOULTRY.

AFIA said that the two-day Pet Food Conference included a variety of expert speakers. The international regulatory update was given by Dr. Gary Egrie of the National Center for Import and Export, USDA/APHIS, while Svetlana Udislivaia of Euromonitor International addressed the international pet food market supply and demand. Dr. Daniel McChesney provided an update on the FDA and the recently passed Food Safety Modernization Act. The conference concluded with a pet food manufacturing panel which featured experts from The Nutro Company, P&G Pet Care and Snacks, WellPet LLC and Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.

The International Education Forum addressed topics imperative to feed manufacturers and related industries. Ryan Hanson of MAC Equipment and Dr. Leland McKinney of Kansas State University served as featured speakers; while regulatory and legislative updates were provided by AFIA’s vice-presidents Keith Epperson and Richard Sellers.

In addition to the educational programming, AFIA noted that it played a key role in arranging the fourth annual International Feed Regulators Meeting sponsored by the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF). The meeting was held prior to International Feed Expo/International Poultry Expo. For more information about IFIF visit www.ifif.org.

For more information on the International Feed Expo/International Poultry Expo, visit www.ife11.org.