How to minimize pet food production costs

From raw materials to equipment to product testing, controlling costs is key to maintaining a successful pet food business.

January 9, 2026

Handwritten 'Costs' with upward arrow on chalkboard surface

Cost efficiency challenges in pet food production run the gamut -- equipment, staff, packaging, energy, raw materials, and even the production process itself.

geralt | Pixabay.com

The price of any food product is a deceptively simple number at checkout, one that encompasses the countless cost variables involved in getting that product into consumers' hands.

According to 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) data, in the human food space every dollar spent holds within it 9.1 cents for farm production and 13.2 cents for food processing, as well as costs for packaging (2.5 cents), transportation (3.5 cents) and myriad other factors.

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