Kansas State University's Grain Science and Industry Department will offer its Pet Food Formulation for Commercial Production course January 12-16, 2026, as a virtual program conducted via Zoom.
The synchronous course runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST daily and covers pet food formulation principles, cost formulation, nutritional requirements for dogs and cats, regulatory and labeling standards, raw material functionality, processing across formats, and packaging claims. Participants will learn to use commercial formulation software and refine existing formulas.
"By the end of this course, students will have acquired basic knowledge of formulating pet food products in various formats, a foundation in ingredients and processing techniques, and will be able to utilize the relevant commercial software necessary for formulating pet food products," the course materials noted.
The program features instruction from Kansas State University faculty and industry professionals, including:
- Julia Pezzali, assistant professor and pet food program director
- Sajid Alavi, professor
- Haley Larson, teaching assistant professor
- Kathy Gross, independent consultant and adjunct faculty
- Leah Lambrakis, vice president of research and development, nutrition and scientific affairs for Simmons Pet Food and Simmons Animal Nutrition
- Greg Aldrich, chief operating officer for Nulo Pet Food
- James Templeman, director of nutrition and formulation at Primal Pet Foods and adjunct professor at the University of Guelph
The course targets pet food company employees in formulation, new product development, quality control, marketing, procurement, ingredient supply, equipment manufacturing and technical and sales positions, as well as students and startup companies.
Registration is open with a course fee of $1,850. Materials will be posted in an online learning management system, but sessions will not be recorded.
