Uncertainty seems like the only certainty in pet food supply chains. However, strong relationships with ingredient, packaging and equipment producers can form a bulwark against unpredictability while streamlining operations.
During Petfood Essentials in Kansas City, Mo., preceding Petfood Forum 2026, executives from Pet Food Solutions discussed how reframing suppliers as strategic partners can improve everything from downtime and inventory levels to food safety and product innovation.
“Strong partnerships across supply chain reduce risk, lower cost, and improve reliability,” said Kyle Wiley, supply chain manager. “When suppliers, carriers, and customers work together every one of us benefits.”
Price versus cost of pet food suppliers
The distinction between price and total cost is central to producer relationships, Pet Food Solutions President Jodi McCarthy said. While procurement teams may prioritize unit price, she emphasized that downstream downtime and inefficiencies can outweigh initial savings.
“There is a price and there is a cost,” McCarthy said. “The price is what you pay… There’s a cost of that choice… So if you’re going to buy the lowest price product, you might have a lot of other costs that you’re not expected.”
In other words, you get what you pay for.
McCarthy mentioned an example involving a US$50 nozzle component that led to thousands of dollars in downtime and significant lost sales due to production stoppages.
Reducing downtime through collaboration
Downtime remains one of the most significant operational risks. Supplier integration can play a critical role in mitigating that risk, Wiley said, particularly through proactive inventory management and communication.
“Plants cannot produce without raw materials,” Wiley said. “One of the most effective strategies we’ve implemented is vendor management… We monitor their tank levels daily… and proactively ship material as needed.”
This approach, often described as vendor-managed inventory, allows suppliers to act as an extension of plant operations. Continuous monitoring and shared visibility help prevent stockouts while avoiding excess inventory.
When disruptions do occur, established partnerships can accelerate problem-solving. In one case, a customer experiencing equipment failures due to sludge buildup was able to quickly switch to an alternative ingredient through supplier collaboration, restoring operations within a week.
Inventory discipline and spoilage control
Beyond uptime, supplier partnerships also influence inventory strategy. While higher inventory levels may appear to reduce risk, they can introduce new costs, including spoilage and tied-up capital.
“Excessive inventory ties up capital that can be used for research development, hiring, business growth ideas,” Wiley said.
To address this, companies are implementing joint practices such as weekly spoilage reviews and coordinated redistribution of at-risk materials across facilities. These incremental adjustments can yield significant savings over time.
“When material expires, you’re paying for that material twice,” Wiley added. “Shipping it in and shipping it out.”
Incremental change as a strategy
While large-scale transformation initiatives often dominate industry discussions, Grantham emphasized that incremental improvements can be more effective and sustainable. Making many changes at once muddles one’s ability to know what changes actually helped.
“What we’re suggesting is that you make changes in an incremental order and then watch the results,” said Grantham.
This approach allows companies to isolate variables, measure outcomes and scale successful changes. It also reduces the risk of unintended consequences that can arise from sweeping operational shifts.
Examples of incremental gains included simple process adjustments. Grantham told the story of saving a client thousands be simply tilting tankers during unloading to recover residual product, reducing waste and cleaning costs.
Shared accountability to improve food safety
The speakers discussed the importance of shared accountability, especially in food safety, supported by data and performance metrics. Supplier scorecards, key performance indicators and joint audits can help align expectations and drive continuous improvement.
“If you don’t take the time, it’s kind of a feeling,” McCarthy said. “And that never works that good… when you come with the data, they can’t argue with that.”
Practices such as supplier questionnaires, joint inspections and standardized procedures help ensure consistency and reduce risk.
“Food safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Wiley said.
Along with food safety, developing stronger relationships with suppliers protects pet food companies against uncertainty and streamline operations.
“The bottom line is that there will always be puts and takes in any business… and of course the goal is to have more puts than takes,” Grantham said.
