PI: Emory W. Zimmers Jr.
University: Lehigh University
Industry partner: FreshPet
FreshPet is a manufacturer of refrigerated food for dogs and cats using natural ingredients. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey. FreshPet’s Bethlehem facility produces three main product forms for dogs and cats—roasted meals, shredded meals, and rolls—including more than 50 formulas across these product lines. The food manufactured by the company is available in their retail network of over 27,000 fridges across North America and the U.K.
In 2013, FreshPet opened a new manufacturing facility, FreshPet Kitchens, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This facility was fitted to conform to human-grade manufacturing standards and was expanded in 2016 to support the growth of the business. The Bethlehem site has an extensive video camera system which covers their manufacturing and general facilities areas. Beginning in 2025, FreshPet management initiated a technology project supported by PITA funding with the objective of utilizing and leveraging new AI technology video analytics by coupling with existing systems to assist in addressing situations in real time or in advance of an issue. They viewed integrating AI into the video camera system as a means to enhance safety, maintain consistency, improve product quality, and support troubleshooting. The AI project initiative has since expanded from its original emphasis on product quality to also cover employee safety and packaging management. Additionally, based upon initial project success, a comprehensive list of AI-supported improvement initiatives has been created for future review.