The pet nutrition industry needs natural, functional ingredients that also answer sustainability
Pet food formulators face growing demand for palatability, digestive support and health benefits drawn from natural sources rather than synthetic additives. At the same time, shrimp processing generates large volumes of heads, shells and by-products that, if left unused, add cost and environmental pressure. This combination — a need for high-value functional ingredients and a stream of under-used raw material — is the gap that Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) set out to address in the pet nutrition market.
Building on positive results achieved since 2025, VNF returned to Thailand to meet customers and partners and to continue promoting shrimp-based functional ingredients derived from Vietnamese shrimp in the food and pet nutrition industries.
Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) presents shrimp-based functional ingredients at an expanded Pet Workshop
The highlight of the trip was a Pet Workshop that Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) co-organized with strategic partner CF Chem (Cinnamon Group of Company). Following the success of the earlier program, this edition was expanded in scale, drawing more than 40 R&D and technical experts from the pet nutrition industry. Participants discussed market needs, challenges in product development and the potential to apply shrimp-based solutions in Thailand.
At the workshop, VNF introduced three functional ingredients from Vietnamese shrimp. Shrimp Peptide enhances natural palatability and supports digestion. Chitosan helps control phosphate absorption and maintain kidney health. Astaxanthin acts as an antioxidant and supports immunity. In addition, RetriV was presented as a solution that recovers nutrients from production wastewater, helping pet food manufacturers reduce the burden of wastewater treatment while creating additional value from otherwise lost nutrients.
Shrimp-based functional ingredients open new value for regional pet nutrition and the circular economy
As sustainability shapes purchasing across the food and feed industries, ingredients that combine functional performance with responsible sourcing are increasingly in demand. By turning shrimp by-products into Shrimp Peptide, Chitosan, Astaxanthin and recovered nutrients through RetriV, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) offers pet nutrition manufacturers a route to differentiated products and a lower environmental footprint at the same time.
VNF thanked CF Chem and its representatives — Ekachai Laohaphand, Jiraphan Sanongsuk, Duangkamon Thuppaman and Wareerak Paralux — for their partnership in connecting, preparing and hosting the program, and thanked the customers, partners and experts who took part.
Beyond a single event, the workshop reflects a broader shift in which shrimp-based functional ingredients from Vietnam move deeper into regional and global value chains. It shows how a circular-economy approach — recovering value from what was once treated as waste — can support both product innovation and sustainability across the pet nutrition industry.