KANSAS CITY, MO. — In today’s highly scrutinized pet food market, product safety is essential to maintaining consumer trust and protecting brand reputation. Because food safety incidents can escalate quickly, manufacturers must be prepared with strong prevention measures, recall protocols and clear crisis-response plans.

With more than two decades of experience in the pet food industry, many of which were in food safety and quality assurance roles, Jarrod Kersey, Ph.D., industry consultant, shared his insights about managing food safety in pet food manufacturing at the 2026 Pet Food Processing Exchange, a conference hosted by Pet Food Processing and Sosland Publishing Co.

The Exchange, which united pet food industry stakeholders with subject matter experts across the industry, was held at the Intercontinental Kansas City from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.

During his presentation, Kersey explained how conducting mock recalls, strengthening preventive controls and ensuring cross-functional alignment can help pet food companies respond more effectively when food safety issues arise and communicate transparently with stakeholders throughout the process.

Read more coverage from the Pet Food Processing Exchange.