U.S. Pet Food Construction Plans Add Up to More than $1 Billion

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Around $1.5 billion worth of pet food-related capital and maintenance projects are underway in the U.S. or planned for a future date.

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A Steady Source of Activity

Americans love their pets. The need to feed dogs, cats and other domestic pets provides a constant demand for the many types of foods and treats available, and for this reason, pet food producers are a consistent source of construction projects in the U.S. Food & Beverage Industry. The latest numbers from the American Veterinary Association show 56.3 million U.S. households had a dog in 2025 and 43.1 million had a cat.

Industrial Info Resources data find $1.5 billion of current and future U.S. pet food-related construction and maintenance, including more than $275 million worth of capital projects presently underway.

Underway Projects

The largest pet food construction work presently underway in the U.S. comes from one of the largest players in the sector: Nestle Purina. The company is targeting wet food for cats as it expands its plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa, by around 80,000 square feet, which will house a new dedicated production line along with other auxiliary processing and canning equipment. The plant is the primary U.S. production point for the Friskies line of cat food, and the new line will allow for production of Nestle Purina's Fancy Feast wet food line. The project broke ground last summer and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.

Another multi-sector corporation is responsible for another pet food expansion in Topeka, Kansas. The J.M. Smucker Company, more commonly known as Smucker's, is responsible for such pantry staples as Jif peanut butter and the Hostess brand of baked goods, but also produces leading cat food Meow Mix and the famous Milk Bone dog biscuit. Smucker's is expanding its pet food production capacity with a 28,000-square-foot building addition at its pet food plant in Topeka, Kansas, along with other renovations and equipment additions with the aim to expand production. Construction has been underway only a couple of months and is expected to be completed in late 2027.

Other notable projects underway include a new warehouse and distribution facility, as well as a dryer facility addition at United Petfood Producers USA's Mishawaka, Indiana, plant, which produces pet food recipes for private labels and store brands.

Future Construction

Just as some form of pet food-related construction seems to always be underway in the U.S., pet food projects always loom in the future, although not all of these move forward as planned. Industrial Info Resources is tracking another 64 capital U.S. pet food projects worth $1.2 billion set for a future date, as well as more than a dozen planned maintenance events across the country.

Nestle Purina also proves to be a big player in future construction, as the company gears up for the addition of two dryers at a plant in Edmond, Oklahoma, and plans to add an anaerobic digester at its Allentown, Pennsylvania, plant to produce biogas for electricity.

With nine capital pet food projects on the horizon, Minnesota leads in regard to the number of future projects, although some of these projects overlap each other at the same plant. Most notably, Barrett Petfood Innovations is planning a range of projects at its plant in Little Falls, which includes everything from building expansions and packaging line additions to new wastewater treatment facilities.

Also in Minnesota, at its Perham plant, Tuffys Pet Foods is planning both a dry food production line upgrade and, further downstream, machine replacements for the bagging and palletizing processes. Around 160 miles southeast in the Greater Minneapolis area, Tuffys is planning to construct a 66,000-square-foot storage and warehousing facility at another plant.

Key Takeaways

• Consistent demand for pet foods and treats makes for consistent construction activity in the U.S.
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking $1.5 billion in current and future U.S. pet-food related project activity.
• Leading player Nestle Purina is responsible for substantial U.S. construction activity in the sector.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).