Interzoo 2026 opens in Nuremberg with focus on pet food and sustainability: full analysis
Interzoo 2026 will run May 12-15, 2026, but the official venue is Nuremberg, Germany, not Wiesbaden, based on Interzoo’s own website and visitor information pages. The event is billed as the world’s leading trade fair for the pet industry and is expected to draw a global mix of manufacturers, wholesalers, and service providers, with organizers citing participation from 68 countries. (interzoo.com)
That location detail matters because Interzoo’s official materials repeatedly frame the event as part of a broader Interzoo week in Nuremberg. The trade fair itself opens on May 12, while May 11 is reserved for two adjacent programs: Petfood Forum Europe and the inaugural Interzoo Sustainability Conference. Together, those pre-show events show how the exhibition is evolving beyond a traditional trade floor into a platform for policy, product, and manufacturing discussions across the pet sector. (interzoo.com)
The pet food track appears especially relevant for veterinary readers. Petfood Forum Europe’s 2026 agenda includes sessions on consumer trends, nutrition research, ingredient innovation, processing technologies, and supply chain management. Specific topics highlighted by organizers include sustainability metrics, comparisons between rendered and novel ingredients, AI-assisted supplier auditing, enzyme use in companion animal nutrition, and engineering advances in freeze-drying. Those topics don’t directly set veterinary standards, but they often influence the diets, treats, and product claims that reach clinics and pet parents months later. (interzoo.com)
Interzoo is also leaning hard into sustainability as a market and reputational issue. The new Sustainability Conference is aimed at CSR and sustainability professionals across the pet supplies industry, and organizers say it will include researchers, industry speakers, and former UN Assistant Secretary-General Elliott Harris as a keynote speaker. The conference will also present the inaugural Sustainability Award, recognizing ecological, social, and economic initiatives. (interzoo.com)
Organizer commentary reinforces that positioning. In Interzoo materials, WZF’s Dr. Rowena Arzt described Petfood Forum Europe as an important part of Interzoo week, while WATT Global Media executives emphasized the value of pairing technical education with access to the broader trade fair. Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry, said the 2026 conference will span issues from life-cycle assessments and ingredient sustainability to AI-supported auditing and freeze-drying advances. (interzoo.com)
Why it matters: Veterinary professionals may not attend Interzoo for hands-on clinical guidance, but the event can still offer an early read on where the commercial side of companion animal care is moving. Nutrition innovation, sustainability claims, manufacturing technologies, and sourcing transparency are increasingly part of conversations with pet parents, especially as premium diets, novel ingredients, and health-positioned products proliferate. Trade-show messaging doesn’t equal evidence, but it does help signal which claims, categories, and product formats clinics may need to evaluate more closely in the months ahead. (interzoo.com)
There’s also a practical business angle. Interzoo’s supporting program and exhibitor scale suggest continued competition around differentiated pet food, treats, supplements, grooming products, and sustainability-forward packaging. For practices with retail components, nutrition counseling services, or wellness plans that intersect with over-the-counter products, these market shifts can affect client questions, merchandising decisions, and the need for evidence-based guidance. (interzoo.com)
What to watch: As Interzoo opens on May 12, 2026, watch for exhibitor announcements, award winners, and post-show reporting that clarifies which product categories and technical themes gained the most traction, especially in pet food, sustainability, and supply chain oversight. (interzoo.com)