BY: Julianne Curran, Vice President, Market Innovation, Pulse Canada
In agriculture, progress rarely happens in isolation. But when we roll up our sleeves, we can, and do, make progress together. Across Canada’s pulse sector, collaboration is opening new, high-volume market opportunities for growers, processors and ingredient manufacturers. Nowhere is that more evident than in Pulse Canada’s work to expand the role of pulses in animal feed and pet food – two fast-growing markets where nutrition, performance and sustainability are creating new pathway ys for Canadian crops.
Why Feed and Pet Food Matter
The packaged food, foodservice and ingredient processing markets in North America and Europe have been a long-standing focus for Pulse Canada diversification efforts due to their importance as high-value markets that prioritize quality over price and offer more stability and price inelasticity compared to our traditional markets. While we have seen significant progress in product launches and pulse ingredient penetration in certain product categories and on menus, this growth in pulse demand and use has taken time. Meanwhile, peas and other pulses have found modest use in livestock feed and premium pet food over the past two decades. But as global demand shifts toward lower-carbon, higher-efficiency protein sources, these once-niche markets are becoming strategic growth areas. Feed offers high-volume demand potential, while pet food offers high-value returns – both perfectly aligned with the natural strengths of Canadian pulses: protein, fibre, starch and sustainability.
Feed and pet food manufacturers around the world are searching for ingredients that improve nutrition, traceability and environmental performance. For Canada’s pulse sector, that represents an open door – one that can help move more volume through existing supply chains while diversifying markets beyond traditional export destinations.
Finding and Unlocking Market Opportunities
Pulse Canada has undertaken extensive work to identify where the most immediate and impactful opportunities exist for Canadian pulses in feed and pet food applications. This market intelligence has helped pinpoint key regions like Southeast Asia and Latin America and product categories – from aquaculture and swine feed to premium dry dog food – where demand is growing, and Canadian suppliers are well positioned to compete in these geographic markets and end-use categories.
To strengthen this work, Pulse Canada staff have recently been on the ground in Mexico, India and the Philippines, engaging directly with feed and pet food companies, importers and industry associations to understand local needs and position Canadian pulses as reliable, high-performing ingredients. In November, Pulse Canada took this effort further with a mission to China, continuing to build relationships and open doors in one of the world’s largest and most dynamic animal nutrition markets.
The goal is simple: connect the dots between what pulse growers produce and what feed and pet food manufacturers need. By focusing on market access, relationship-building and technical support, Pulse Canada is helping ensure Canadian pulses are visible, reliable and ready to meet that demand.
Building Industry Confidence and Connections
Through close collaboration with feed formulators, pet food manufacturers and ingredient buyers, Pulse Canada provides technical guidance, product information and connections to Canadian suppliers. These efforts are helping major feed and pet food companies understand how pulses can be incorporated effectively into existing formulations – not just as a sustainable alternative, but as a performance-driven ingredient with proven supply and quality consistency.
To accelerate adoption, Pulse Canada has also expanded its outreach capacity to work directly with companies across North America, Latin America, and the Indo-Pacific. This hands-on approach ensures that opportunities identified through market analysis translate into tangible sales and partnerships for the Canadian pulse industry.
What This Means for Growers
For growers, the expanding feed and pet food sectors offer more than diversification – they offer resilience. As some export markets face uncertainty from tariffs or shifting trade dynamics, growing domestic and regional demand can help stabilize returns and keep value flowing through the supply chain.
Every new feed mill, processor or pet food brand that incorporates Canadian pulses represents progress toward a more balanced, market-diverse future for the sector. The outcome is clear: reliable demand, stronger relationships, and a broader foundation for long-term growth.
Turning Opportunity into Volume
Pulse Canada’s work in feed and pet food is about more than innovation – it’s about action. By finding, validating and advancing new commercial opportunities, we’re turning potential into progress and ensuring that Canadian pulses continue to move where demand is growing fastest.
Through collaboration and persistence, we’re transforming these emerging sectors into real-world markets – helping Canada’s pulse industry stay competitive, expand its reach and deliver sustainable solutions that feed both people and animals around the world.