IGP–KSU Pet Food Formulation for Commercial Production (VIRTUAL)
Course Description
This 5-day virtual course will meet synchronously via Zoom. Some materials will be posted in an online learning management system for registered participants, but the sessions will not be recorded. Participants will need to plan to be available for the virtual meetings from 8 am to 4:30 pm CST (Central Standard Time) UTC/GMT -6 hours.
Participants will learn about key aspects of pet food formulation, including the principles of simple cost formulation, nutritional requirements and recommendations for dogs and cats, regulatory and labeling standards, raw material functionality, processing across different pet food formats, and meeting packaging claims. 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. They will also learn how to refine existing formulas. Participants will benefit from the combined expertise of Kansas State University faculty and industry professionals, who will share both fundamental and practical knowledge in the art of pet food formulation.
Meet your Instructors:
Julia Pezzali – Assistant Professor and Pet Food Program Director at K-State
Sajid Alavi – Professor at K-State
Haley Larson – Teaching Assistant Professor at K-State
Kathy Gross – Independent Consultant and Adjunct Faculty at K-State
Leah Lambrakis – Vice President Of Research & Development, Nutrition, & 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
Who Should Attend
Pet food company employees in roles such as formulation, new product development, quality control, marketing, procurement, ingredient supplying, equipment manufacturing, technical and sales positions, students, and new company startups in the pet food industry.
View the 2025 Course Agenda (subject to change for 2026)
Registration Information
Dates: January 12–16, 2026 (registration opening soon)
Course fee: $1,850
This course requires payment by credit cards only at the time of registration.
Don’t miss the opportunity to register for this course! Space is limited.
Do you want to be among the first to know when registration opens? Email us at igp@ksu.edu and we will add you to our list to receive updates about this course and an email notification on the day registration opens. Just type “Notify Me: Pet Food Formulation” in the subject line of your email.
Registration via our online portal and payment by credit card are required to reserve a spot in the course.
The IGP Institute reserves the right to cancel or reschedule courses if minimum enrollment numbers are not met. If a course is canceled, participants will be refunded 100% of their tuition. If a course is rescheduled, participants will have the opportunity to have 100% of their registration fees applied to the rescheduled course or receive a full refund.
Participants who wish to cancel or transfer their registration to another employee can do so for a $100 processing fee as long as notice is received at least fifteen days prior to the course start date. Refund requests made fourteen days or less before a course start date will be not be refunded.