TUCKER, GEORGIA, US — The American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) free feed education program returns to the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) on Jan. 26, 2022, to update attendees on recent changes within several federal agencies and to provide an outlook for the animal food industry for 2022.

The IPPE, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held Jan. 25-27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

The AFIA said the two-hour education program is ideal for animal food facility managers and operations and mill personnel looking to learn about the latest regulatory requirements affecting their businesses.

“With such a rollercoaster of a year from a new presidential administration to fresh waves of COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021, there was a lot coming out of regulatory agencies which the animal food industry must keep up with,” said Gary Huddleston, director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs at the AFIA. “The AFIA feed education program will keep industry stakeholders informed of potential changes in regulations.”

The program’s featured speaker will focus on the importance of a written pandemic policy. The agenda also includes updates on what the industry can expect to see in 2022 from the Food and Drug Administration, including inspection plans; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, such as new workforce requirements; and the Environmental Protection Agency, such as new climate regulations.

In addition to the educational portion of the program, the AFIA will provide an update on the Feed Facility of the Year (FFY) and name the winner of the 2021 Commercial FFY, as well as discuss new educational tools for feed manufacturers. For IPPE registration information, go to www.ippexpo.org.

IPPE is a collaboration of three shows — the International Feed Expo, International Meat Expo and the International Poultry Expo — representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. The event is sponsored by the AFIA, the North American Meat Institute and the US Poultry & Egg Association. 

The 2019 IPPE attracted more than 8,200 international visitors from over 130 countries. The largest group from a single country outside the United States was Canada with 1,283 visitors. The largest region represented was the Caribbean, Latin America, Mexico and South America with 3,271 visitors.

Along with a record-setting 32,931 delegates, the 2019 event also included a record number of exhibitors at 1,426 exhibitors in 600,732 square feet of exhibit space, placing it among the top 50 expos in terms of size in the United States.