Top Pet Food Ingredient Companies

Increase in pet population worldwide and the growing rate of pet parenting have driven the global pet ingredient market to grow exponentially. Rise in demand for high-quality, natural, functional, and premium ingredients related to the health and well-being of pets is also adding boost to the market’s growth rate. Pet owners are more concerned about the quality, nutritional value, and safety of their pet food than they ever were, which leads to increased demand for protein-based, vitamin, mineral, probiotic, and specialty ingredient sources in their pet foods.

Industry Overview

According to SkyQuest Technology “Pet Food Ingredient Market By Pets Type (Dogs, Cats, Fish and Other Pets), By Source (Animal-based, Plant Derivatives, Synthetic), By Ingredient (Meat & Meat Products, Cereals, Vegetables & Fruits, Fats, Additives), By Form (Dry and Wet), By Region- Industry Forecast 2025-2032,” Global Pet Food Ingredient Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5.6% by 2032, on account of urgent need for automating quantified data. The increasing incidence of pet health problems leading manufacturers to create pet foods with functional and specialty ingredients drives manufacturers to create forms of pet food with functional and specialized ingredients, in response to the growing number of people who have pets with the same type of health problems. Online selling of pet food via e-commerce, urbanization, increase of disposable incomes and developing plant-based, sustainable, and alternative protein sources (e.g., insect-based protein and algae) are driving additional growth in the global pet food ingredient market as well.

Top 10 Global Pet Food Ingredient Companies

1. Cargill

As America’s largest private corporation, Cargill is a significant bottom line supplier for pet food manufacturers and offers total supplier solutions to its extensive global supply chain capabilities. As of 2024–2025, they also recently added expanded AI nutritional modeling (through Galleon's database) and precision nutrition to better assist brands with creating formulations that will best optimize gut-health and sustainability.

2. ADM (Archer Daniels Midland)

ADM is focused on the humanization of pet food and has positioned itself to be a leader in the ingredient space as a solution-based vendor. Their R&D department has over 140 dedicated scientists, providing specialized solutions for functional ingredient development, including postbiotics, plant proteins and natural colorants.

3. BASF

As a premier global player in the chemical industry, BASF supplies the “micro-micronutrients” that give complete nutrition to pet food. This includes vitamins, carotenoids (coloring), and organic acids for preserving.

4. Dsm-firmenich

With the merger of their two companies in 2023, dsm-firmenich now ranks as the world’s largest supplier of Omega-3 fatty acids and precision premix solutions. They are a champion of sustainable practices including Veramaris algae oil, which is a replacement for traditional fish oil. In early 2025 they announced new carrot-based prebiotics designed to help maximize consistent gut health for dogs.

5. Scoular

Scoular is a leader in sourcing premium ingredients and specialized supply chain types of logistics. This year (2024), Scoular's subsidiary, Petsource by Scoular, completed an investment up to $75 million to expand its capacity to manufacture freeze-dried ingredients, which is a high-growth area of the raw pet food market. In addition, Scoular is one of the largest suppliers of fishmeal certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

6. Ingredion

Ingredion utilizes the clean label and structural aspects of pet food to process corn, tapioca, and pulses into plant-based proteins and starch-based texturizers. In 2024, Ingredion's Texture & Healthful Solutions segment was the highest-growth area, largely attributable to the increasing demand for grain-free and readily digestible kinds of pet treats and kibble.

7. Kerry Group

Kerry is the market leader in palatants, or ingredients that give pet food an appealing taste and odor for pets. They utilize their Taste & Nutrition knowledge of the human food industry to develop authentic meat flavors and natural preservation systems for pet food. Kerry's strategic focus for 2025 is on providing “healthy aging” and “satiety” solutions to support pet diets intended for weight management.

8. Darling Ingredients

Darling is the world’s largest producer of natural sustainable ingredients from upcycling animal byproducts. Many kibble recipes include high-quality proteins and fats produced by converting remnants of meat processing.

9. Kemin Industries (Keming)

Kemin Industries (Keming) is a family-owned biotechnology company specializing in food safety and antioxidants, and they are also a leading company in the world of shelf-life solutions for pet foods, using natural rather than synthetic methods to stop rancidity from occurring. In addition to offering shelf-life solutions for pet foods, Kemin also manufactures many types of functional molecules, including protease inhibitors for weight maintenance and ingredients for immune support.

10 Corbion

Corbion is a leading global producer of lactic acid-based solutions and algae nutritional products. In their Fiscal Year ended December 2024, double-digit organic revenue growth was driven primarily by increased sales of AlgaPrime DHA (an algae-derived Omega-3). Corbion is committed to the principle of creating a "circular economy," and provides solutions that assist brands in reducing their carbon footprint through sustainability, preservation and nutrition.

Other Leading Global Pet Food Ingredient Companies

• Novonesis
• Evonik Industries
• Adisseo
• Lesaffre
• Alltech
• Tyson Foods
• Ajinomoto Co.
• Roquette Frères
• Omega Protein Corporation
• Mowi

Conclusion

The globally expanding pet food ingredient market is projected to continue its upward trajectory in the coming years, as consumer preferences shift toward healthier, premium-quality, and nutritionally rich pet food products. In addition, due to continued innovation with respect to ingredient sourcing (e.g., protein sources), product formulation processes, and sustainability initiatives, competitiveness will be greatly influenced by the degree of innovation required. As a result, pet food ingredient producers will be challenged to deliver the highest quality of ingredients possible, along with the cleanest labels, to achieve a long-term competitive advantage in terms of pet food manufacturing and ultimately to support consumer confidence and create loyalty among consumers.