Animal Digest - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)

The animal digest market size is projected to expand from USD 2.65 billion in 2025 and USD 2.85 billion in 2026 to USD 3.90 billion by 2031, registering a 6.47% CAGR over 2026-2031. This report is Segmented by Source (Poultry, Porcine, Bovine, Fish, and Others), by Form (Powder, Liquid, and Paste/Slurry), by Application (Pet Food, Aquaculture Feed, Livestock Feed, and Others), and by Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Global Animal Digest Market Trends and Insights

Growth in Premium Pet Food, Positioning Animal Digest as a Palatability Enhancer

Pet food manufacturers are redesigning recipes to elevate animal digest from a filler to a functional flavor driver, because consumer willingness to pay for taste has intensified since 2025. Nestlé Purina PetCare Company (Nestlé S.A.) is investing over EURO 150 million (approximately USD 200 million) to upgrade its Wisbech, United Kingdom, plant. Scheduled for completion by early 2025, the project aims to modernize production lines, enhance automation, improve energy efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions. AFB International (The Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.) deployed USD 79 million in Columbus, Georgia, in 2024 and opened a Thailand hub in 2024 to serve Asia-Pacific premium tiers. Formulation data show premium dry dog food now contains 2% - 4% digest, versus 0.5% - 1.5% in economy kibble, lifting raw-material costs per kilogram by USD 0.15-0.30 and proving manufacturers can absorb higher input costs when palatability drives brand loyalty.

Rapid Expansion of Aquaculture Feed Applications

Shrimp and finfish farmers are blending animal digest to overcome off-flavors associated with higher soy or insect meal inclusion rates. Symrise AG markets fish and crustacean hydrolysates such as Actipal that improve acceptance rates in intensive ponds. A 2026 US Grains and Bioproducts Council-reviewed trial on Pacific white shrimp showed 2% fish protein digest raised feed intake 8% and weight gain 5% versus a control diet. Vietnam’s VNF and France’s Adisseo supply shrimp-derived peptides that target the same outcome, while Kemin opened an Italy headquarters in 2025 to deepen aquafeed research and development. Asia-Pacific now delivers more than 85% of global aquaculture output, guaranteeing persistent demand tailwinds for digest inclusion.

Stringent Rendering By-product Regulations in Europe and North America

European Union Regulation 1069/2009 mandates Category 3 controls that heighten traceability, heat treatment, and testing, thereby lifting compliance costs by USD 0.05-0.12 per kilogram. The European Food Safety Authority tightened microbiological criteria in several 2024-2025 opinions, compelling more frequent audits. Canada’s Food Inspection Agency introduced updated RG-4 guidance in July 2024 that intensified documentation requirements, a burden that smaller renderers find difficult to amortize. In January 2025 the United States Food and Drug Administration issued its Animal Food Ingredient Compendium, expanding process scrutiny and increasing capital outlays for quality systems. These overlapping rules consolidate power among scale operators, enabling them to spread fixed compliance investments across larger volumes.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

• Cost Advantage Over Synthetic Flavor Alternatives
• Surge in Single-Protein Diets for Companion Animals
• Volatility in Poultry and Porcine By-product Supply

Segment Analysis

Poultry digest is projected to account for 46.0% of the animal digest market in 2025, driven by global broiler production reaching 47.1 billion pounds (23.55 million metric tons) that year. This ensures a stable supply of by-products, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). Porcine digest ranks second because of its amino-acid profile and high canine acceptance, although African swine fever causes periodic shortages. Bovine digest serves niche hypoallergenic diets and certain aquaculture formulations that value specific peptide ranges. Fish digest is essential in marine cat food and high-performance shrimp feed, where omega-3 content and umami flavor boost palatability. Insect digest, while small today, is forecast to be the fastest-growing segment, with a 10.9% CAGR, as European and Asian regulators approve black soldier fly and mealworm hydrolysates and capital flows resume into new plants.

Poultry’s dominance within the animal digest market size reflects integrated rendering networks that convert offal and spent hens into cost-competitive hydrolysates. United States renderers rely on automated temperature-time systems that meet both domestic and export microbiological standards, which supports consistent quality. In contrast, insect producers must build specialized hydrolysis lines and invest in downstream spray dryers, delaying cost parity with traditional sources. Patent activity filed in June 2025 for an insect protein hydrolysate demonstrates technical advances, yet commercialization awaits higher production volumes and stable financing. Brands focused on clean-label or novel-protein claims already formulate with insect digest at inclusion levels of 0.5% to 1%, positioning the segment for outsized growth once capacity expands.

Complete Report Scope:

• By Source
  • Poultry
  • Porcine
  • Bovine
  • Fish
  • Others
• By Form
  • Powder
  • Liquid
  • Paste/Slurry
• By Application
  • Pet Food
  • Aquaculture Feed
  • Livestock Feed
  • Others
• By Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
    • Rest of North America
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Rest of South America
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • France
    • United Kingdom
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Rest of Middle East
  • Africa
    • South Africa
    • Kenya
    • Rest of Africa

Geography Analysis

North America captured 38.0% of the animal digest market in 2025, driven by multinational pet food headquarters, sophisticated rendering operations, and high pet ownership rates. The United States Department of Agriculture measured cattle and calf plus hog and pig output at 39.22 million metric tons in 2024, a stable feedstock base for digests. Nestlé Purina PetCare Company (Nestlé S.A.), Mars Petcare, and The J.M. Smucker Company each operate multiple plants with on-site palatant spray lines, reinforcing regional demand. Disease outbreaks continue to pose risks, such as avian influenza leading to poultry depopulations and African swine fever threats from the Caribbean, which resulted in a 2026 Federal Order restricting hog movement. Growth in North America is expected, driven by increasing premiumization, therapeutic diets, and single-protein claims, which help counterbalance market maturity.

Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing region at a 7.8% CAGR during 2026-2031, driven by rising pet adoption in China and India, and by converging aquaculture growth in Southeast Asia. China’s chicken production is set to hit 17.30 million metric tons in 2026, with exports at 1.40 million metric tons, expanding rendering inputs. AFB International (The Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.) opened a Thailand headquarters in 2024 for local palatant production, while Symrise AG markets ActiTuna Oil and Actipal to shrimp growers across the region. India, though smaller, is seeing urban consumers migrate from table scraps to commercial kibble, lifting digest demand. Regulatory clarity on insect proteins is advancing in South Korea and Thailand, opening the way for future digest supply from black soldier fly processors.

Europe remains a key consumer market, driven by large pet food clusters in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. However, growth is constrained by Regulation 1069/2009, which imposes additional costs and discourages smaller market entrants. Kerry Group's 2024 revenue reflected continued growth in its Taste and Nutrition unit, which supplies palatants. In 2024-2025, the European Food Safety Authority issued several opinions confirming the safety of black soldier fly and mealworm hydrolysates, facilitating the introduction of insect digest products. Despite this, short-term supply flexibility may be affected by volatility in the pork market in Eastern Europe and by stricter Category 3 documentation requirements.

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

• Kemin Industries, Inc.
• AFB International
• Symrise AG
• Nestlé Purina PetCare Company
• BHJ A/S
• Darling Ingredients Inc.
• Nutriad International NV
• Alltech, Inc.
• Kerry Group plc
• Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited
• Olam Food Ingredients Holdings Pte. Ltd.
• Biorigin Soluções em Ingredientes Naturais Ltda.
• Bioiberica S.A.U.
• Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, LLC
• Protix B.V.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support