A new report from IIR News Intelligence shows $1.5 billion in current and future U.S. pet food-related construction and maintenance activity, including more than $275 million in capital projects underway now.
Nestle Purina is constructing an 80,000-square-foot expansion at its Fort Dodge, Iowa, plant, according to IIR data. The facility serves as the company’s primary U.S. production site for its Friskies cat food line, and it is adding a dedicated production line and auxiliary processing and canning equipment to enable production of Fancy Feast wet food. The project broke ground in summer 2025 and is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2027.
J.M. Smucker Co., maker of Meow Mix and Milk-Bone, is expanding pet food capacity at its Topeka, Kansas, plant with a 28,000-square-foot building addition, along with other renovations and equipment additions. Construction began this past spring and is expected to finish in late 2027.
United Petfood Producers USA, which manufactures pet food recipes for private labels and store brands, has projects at its Mishawaka, Indiana, plant, including a new warehouse and distribution facility and a dryer facility addition. The company entered the U.S. market in 2024 with the purchase of this facility, making it the company’s first factory in the country.
According to the report, IIR is tracking another 64 future capital pet food projects in the U.S. worth a combined $1.2 billion, plus more than a dozen planned upgrades nationwide. Minnesota has the most future project, with nine capital pet food projects, though several overlap at the same facilities.
Two examples: Barrett Petfood Innovations is planning several projects at its Little Falls, Minnesota, plant, including building expansions, packaging line additions and a new wastewater treatment facility. Tuffy’s Pet Foods is planning a dry food production line upgrade and bagging and palletizing machine replacements at its Perham, Minnesota, plant, as well as a 66,000-square-foot storage and warehousing facility at another site.
The scale of these investments suggests a sector that is not just reacting to current demand but actively preparing for a future where pet ownership numbers continue to rise, pushing manufacturers to expand their physical footprint.
