The International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE), continues to focus on providing the newest innovation, education, global research, and networking opportunities to the poultry industry. The week kicked off with the International Poultry Scientific Forum where students and professionals alike presented their latest research spanning from nutrition to microbiology topics. It’s reassuring and exciting to see the number of students that were present at this year’s meeting, and to be reminded of the critical collaboration that comes from working alongside these universities. dsm-firmenich colleagues also had the opportunity to highlight and present research regarding our continued advancements in performance solutions and mycotoxin mitigations.

Of course, the highlight of IPPE is always the tradeshow where company booths dominate the expo halls, and you can always count on walking a couple of miles each day to make your way around to visit colleagues and customers. One message that seemed to stand out among many of the booths was gut health. Not just gut health in general, but microbiome focused solutions. The industry is now entering into a time where gut health has more attention and traction than it ever has before. Where food safety is now not just an afterthought but instead playing a critical role in development and analysis of products. The technology that is being produced in this space by some companies is quite remarkable and the targeting of specific bacteria even more so. We can attribute a large part of this growth to the restriction or the decrease in usage of antibiotics, which alone has allowed the alternative solution space to flourish and technology advance well beyond where we were as an industry 10 years ago.

These are exciting times in the poultry industry and IPPE does a great job of showcasing the advancements in technology that companies are diligently working on. You can always count on walking away from IPPE having learned something new and with a renewed sense of passion for the poultry industry. Outside of the tradeshows and scientific forums, IPPE also allows for team building, reconnection with old colleagues, and building of your network. So, while it was a long week, I believe anyone in attendance this year can confidently say it was productive and fulfilling to be amongst others whose goal is to continue to grow the poultry industry and help to feed the world.