The interactive calculator below lets pet food professionals find the most economical combination of three ingredients while meeting a minimum protein target. Users enter three ingredient names, their protein percentages on an as-fed basis and prices per kilogram, then set a minimum protein target. Results show the lowest-cost blend, its protein concentration and ingredient quantities for a 1,000-kilogram batch.
Pet food protein protein-blend calculator
In the face of persistent supply chain problems, Petfood Industry’s protein calculator facilitates evaluating economical options.
Changing prices and recalculating shows how ingredient economics can shift the selected blend. The starting values are illustrative, not current market quotations.
The tool evaluates only protein and ingredient cost; other nutrients, inclusion limits, ingredient suitability and processing requirements remain outside its scope.
Instructions
Use this calculator to compare the ingredient cost of three-ingredient blends against a minimum protein target.
- Select three ingredients. Replace the example names with the ingredients you want to evaluate.
- Enter each ingredient’s protein content. Use percentages on the same as-fed basis, including moisture. Enter 65 for 65% protein.
- Enter comparable prices. Use U.S. dollars per kilogram for every ingredient. Apply the same pricing basis, such as delivered cost, throughout.
- Set the minimum protein target. Enter the required protein percentage for the blend. For example, enter 25 for a minimum of 25%.
- Click “Find cheapest blend.” Review the calculated cost per kilogram, protein percentage, ingredient inclusion percentages and quantities for a 1,000-kilogram batch. An ingredient may receive a zero inclusion because the cheapest solution uses only one or two ingredients.
- Compare purchasing scenarios. Change an ingredient price or protein analysis, then calculate again. Record the results separately to compare alternatives.
- Address an infeasible result. If the target exceeds every ingredient’s protein content, select a higher-protein ingredient or revise the target where appropriate. “Reset example” restores the demonstration inputs.
Ongoing pet food ingredient supply challenges
Ingredient availability and price shocks have been an ongoing challenge in the pet food industry since the pandemic and subsequent inflation followed by international trade disputes.
“What was once perceived to be transitory is looking increasingly to be systemic,” Bryan Jaffe of Cascadia Capital said in a November 2021 blog, “How will supply chain issues affect pet food in 2022?”
Ingredient uncertainty remains a concern. In the October 2026 article “How to secure ingredient supply chains amid volatility”, Mallory Gaines, director of global affairs for the American Feed Industry Association, discussed tariff uncertainty and the concentration of vitamin and amino acid production.
“Supply-chain resilience is ultimately about creating options before you need them,” Gaines said.
