Champion Petfoods officially opened its new NorthStar kitchens in Alberta, Canada, spanning 421,000-sq.-ft. and the capacity to produce up to 297 million lbs. of kibble per year.

The company created a research advisory board to help guide future whole-food animal nutrition research initiatives.

A recent market survey of processors commissioned by Pet Food Processing revealed a forecast of mostly positive with a chance of challenges for pet food and treat manufacturers.