The Institute for Feed Education and Research, in collaboration with market intelligence provider Kemiex, has released ‘Feed Additives: A Primer on Precursors,’ an introductory assessment examining the complex upstream supply chains behind vitamins and amino acids used in animal feed and pet food.
The IFEEDER precursors report builds on the institute’s previous research into US reliance on imported vitamins and amino acids, looking beyond finished feed additives to better understand the precursor materials, intermediates and other inputs required for their production.
“The precursors assessment looks upstream of the vitamin and amino acid supply chain, giving the feed and pet food industries a more complete picture of the complexity that could affect ingredient availability,” said Lara Moody, IFEEDER Executive Director. “Understanding the interconnected chemical and industrial supply chain for vitamins and amino acids equips industry leaders with the knowledge necessary to make decisions about the design, opportunities, risks and resilience of essential supply chains.”
According to the institute, supply chains for essential feed, food and health additives have evolved notably in recent years, with events such as COVID-19, geopolitical and trade dynamics, drug shortages, and changes in market concentration drawing increased attention to their structure and dynamics. While shared chemical inputs and infrastructure can improve manufacturing efficiency, they can also create interdependencies where a disruption affecting one precursor, facility or production pathway could have repercussions across multiple manufacturers and finished products.
The report provides examples of why supply chains need to be examined beyond the finished product. According to IFEEDER, niacin – vitamin B3 – is produced through chemical synthesis and its production relies on beta-picoline, a key precursor, as a byproduct from pyridine production. The pyridine value chain is also connected to other chemical markets, including the production of herbicides and other pharmaceuticals. As a result, changes in these markets can impact upstream inputs needed for niacin production and potentially affect production costs and availability.
The assessment also demonstrates that supply chain vulnerabilities vary considerably by product, according to the institute. Risks can be influenced by the complexity of a product’s upstream supply chain, its production route and whether alternative chemical inputs or manufacturing pathways are available. Integrated industrial parks, where manufacturers may share inputs, utilities and infrastructure, can provide efficiencies but may also create dependencies that extend across multiple products and producers.
“Understanding nutrition and health supply chains requires looking beyond where a finished vitamin or amino acid is produced to the inputs and processes that make that production possible,” said Stefan Schmidinger, Partner and Head of Market Research at Kemiex. “Our evaluation shows how interconnected these supply chains can be, with critical precursors, intermediates and infrastructure often shared across manufacturers, products and even industries. Mapping those connections provides greater visibility into where opportunities and vulnerabilities may exist.”
According to IFEEDER, the findings underscore the importance of looking beyond direct suppliers and finished ingredients when assessing supply chain resilience. At the same time, the report recognises practical limits to supply chain transparency, including proprietary manufacturing processes, supplier confidentiality and competition law.
The report, ‘Feed Additives: A Primer on Precursors,’ is available on ifeeder.org. According to the institute, the report builds on its ongoing work to provide independent, science-based research and practical resources to strengthen the resilience of the US animal food supply chain.
