Ottawa, Canada – More than 80 delegates from across the globe gathered in Ottawa, Canada, from 21-24 June 2026 for the GAPFA Technical Congress 2026 and associated meetings, reinforcing the event’s position as the leading international forum for scientific, technical and regulatory collaboration in the global pet food sector.

Hosted by the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC), this year’s Congress brought together representatives from pet food associations, industry, government, academia and international organisations under the theme “The Future of Pet Food: Mastering Disruption and Defining Global Success.”

Over three days of discussions, delegates examined the key opportunities and challenges shaping the future of the pet food sector, including international trade, companion animal health, nutrition, sustainability, innovation and evolving regulatory frameworks. The Congress featured distinguished speakers from organisations including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Health for Animals, leading universities and the global pet food industry.

Beyond the Technical Congress, GAPFA’s Board of Directors, General Assembly and technical Workstreams met throughout the week to review progress, agree priorities and strengthen collaboration across the Alliance’s global membership.

Among the key outcomes of the week were:

• Election of GAPFA’s new Board of Directors and Officers, including incoming President Florian Wastl, to guide the Alliance’s work over the coming years.
• Confirmation of Workstream Co-Chairs for the Food Safety & Trade Facilitation, Nutrition and Communications Workstreams, ensuring continued leadership of GAPFA’s technical priorities.
• Agreement on priorities for continued engagement with international partners, including advancing science-based approaches to pet food safety, nutrition, and international trade.
• Recognition of the importance of global collaboration in addressing emerging challenges and opportunities facing the pet food sector.
• Presentation of the inaugural GAPFA Distinguished Service Award to Fausto Fiorini in recognition of his outstanding leadership and longstanding contributions to advancing GAPFA’s global food safety and trade facilitation work.
• Announcement that the 2027 GAPFA Technical Congress will be hosted in Liverpool, United Kingdom, from 13-16 June 2027.

Loretta Hunter, outgoing GAPFA President, reflected on the success of the Congress:

“This year’s Congress demonstrated the strength of the global pet food community and the value of bringing together experts from across industry, government and international organisations. The quality of the discussions, the willingness to collaborate and the breadth of expertise shared throughout the week were truly exceptional. I would like to thank our host, PFAC, our outstanding speakers, sponsors and every delegate who contributed to making the Congress such a success.”

Chris Nash, Executive Director of the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC) and incoming GAPFA Vice President for Member Associations, thanked delegates for making the event a memorable success:

“It was a pleasure to welcome colleagues from around the world to Ottawa for the 2026 GAPFA Technical Congress. Our goal was to create an event that was informative, engaging and memorable, bringing together world-class speakers and fostering meaningful discussion on the issues shaping our industry. On behalf of PFAC, I would like to thank GAPFA for the opportunity to host the Congress, as well as all of our speakers, sponsors and delegates for helping make the event such a success.”

GAPFA extends its sincere appreciation to the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC) for hosting this year’s Congress, as well as to all speakers, sponsors, partners and delegates whose expertise and active participation made the event a resounding success.

The Alliance looks forward to welcoming the global pet food community to the 2027 GAPFA Technical Congress, to be held in Liverpool, United Kingdom, from 13-16 June 2027.

About GAPFA

The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA) is a non-profit organization established in Belgium in 2014, representing pet food manufacturers globally. GAPFA’s vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of pets globally through access to safe, nutritious and sustainable pet food. The Alliance works to promote adherence to food safety and nutritional standards enabling manufacturers to deliver wholesome, healthy and nutritious prepared pet foods; to promote the feeding of prepared pet food to support the health and wellbeing of pets; and to develop and disseminate educational resources which highlight and enhance the benefits of human pet interaction. For further information, please visit www.gapfa.org or contact the Secretariat at info@gapfa.org.