“His depth of knowledge in pet food formulation is impressive-but what stands out even more is his willingness to educate, his honesty, and his genuine passion for improving pet nutrition.”
-Dr. Laura Gaylord, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)
James Pendergast is a companion animal nutrition consultant and pet food formulator specializing in fresh, raw, gently-cooked, freeze-dried, and other minimally processed diets for dogs and cats. He works with manufacturers, startups, and industry professionals to develop complete and balanced diets, therapeutic nutrition solutions, and new products for domestic and international markets.
Before founding NetPet Nutrition, James spent 14 years with one of the largest raw, direct-to-consumer pet food companies in the United States, serving as Product Manager, Formulator, and Veterinary Sales Director. He trained under animal nutrition expert Steve Brown, and that experience grounds his approach to fortification, vitamin and mineral premix development, ingredient research, nutrient analysis, and product commercialization across a wide range of processing formats.
Since founding NetPet Nutrition LLC in 2019, James has advised pet food companies on formulation, fortification, nutritional adequacy, product label development, and regulatory strategy. His client base spans the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and other markets-exposure that has sharpened his understanding of how nutritional standards and labeling requirements differ across regulatory jurisdictions, and how that variability shapes formulation decisions. He regularly collaborates with veterinary nutritionists and holistic veterinarians on science-based nutrition solutions for companion animals.
A central theme in Jame’s work is the distinction between nutritional adequacy and nutritional optimization. Complete and balanced nutrition is the baseline standard for pet health- but meeting that standard is not the same as formulating for an animal’s best possible outcome. That distinction informs how he approaches every project, from recipe design, custom premixes, to label compliance: building products that satisfy regulatory requirements while still being formulated toward genuinely better nutrition.
James resides in Seattle, Washington, and enjoys exploring the abundance of mountain trails, rivers, and lakes that this part of the country offers.