Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the Meat Institute, the annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit offered key insights on collaboration and attaining realizable sustainability goals in addition to hearing the latest on how the meat, poultry and egg, and animal feed industries are advancing their sustainability programs. The summit was held during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), taking place this week in Atlanta, Ga.

The summit began with a keynote panel providing restaurant insights into sustainability and collaboration. The panel included PJ Newcomb, sustainability director working with Golden State Foods; Bryan Valladares, senior sustainability analyst, Darden Restaurants; and Lankford Ruffin, director of environmental affairs and sustainability at Butterball LLC.

The panel discussion covered topics such as animal welfare, carbon emissions, feed production footprint, and collaboration between customers, producers and suppliers. Newcomb remarked that “sustainability is a journey, not a destination” and that rules and requirements change frequently. Valladares said that “collaboration is key between producers and suppliers,” while Ruffin stated that “it is important for retailers to know where we are going.”

After the panel discussion, representatives from the meat, poultry and egg, and animal feed industries provided updates on their programs and tools aimed at advancing sustainable protein production. A key theme emphasized by industry leaders was the importance of communication across the animal agriculture sector to achieve sustainability goals and effectively highlighting each organization’s contributions. Speakers included Ryan Bennett, executive director of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance; Lara Moody, P.E., executive director of the Institute for Feed Education and Research; and Eric Mittenthal, chief strategy officer at the Meat Institute and The Protein PACT.