The animal feed industry is part of the human food industry and agriculture. Three of the five major US pet food companies are subsidiaries of large multinationals: Nestl, Heinz, Colgate-Palmolive.
Canidae is a privately owned US pet food company based in California. All ingredients in the products are claimed to be suitable for humans, natural and grown in the USA under strict testing and quality control procedures.
Procter Gamble is a multinational corporation with control over many brands. 23 brands account for more than USD 1 billion in annual net sales, while 18 others account for between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion in sales. It even owns several animal feed brands.
Eukanuba is owned by Procter Gamble, founded in 1969. Some of the wet foods sold in thisin North America, produced by Menu Foods Income Fund (Canada). Under the Eukanuba label, Procter Gamble offers a wide range of pet foods, both soft and hard.
Eukanuba claims to use high quality ingredients, but some of them, such as chicken by-product meal, Brewer’s rice, fish meal, are not of high quality. Eukanuba is the main sponsor of the AKC Eukanuba National Championship (one of the three most prestigious shows in the USA).
Iams is also a brand owned by Procter Gamble. It has an extensive line of foods for dogs and cats of all ages, as well as for animals with special dietary requirements. ProActive Health, Healthy Naturals and Premium Protection are formulated by nutritionists and veterinarians.
It also produces Prostora Max, a food supplement for dogs with digestive problems. The Iams story began in 1946 when Paul Iams founded a small pet food company. In 1950, he developed the first animal protein-based dry food and In 1969, he formulated a new dog food called Eukanuba. In 1999, the company was sold to Procter Gamble.
Hills Pet Nutrition Inc. is a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive. Today, Hill’s products are available in 86 countries with sales of USD 1 billion in 1999.
Science Diet (Science Plan) is Hills Pet Nutrition Inc’s line of pet food. Originally developed in 1960 for the German Shepherd Dog with kidney disease, the success of the product led to the development of formulas for specific life stages.
Nestl SA is one of the world’s largest food companies, based in Switzerland. Nestl was formed in 1905 by the merger of Anglo-Swiss dairy companies. Today, the company is known in 86 countries and employs nearly 283 000 people. Nestl has a 26.4% stake in LOral (the world’s largest beauty and cosmetics company) and is also partners with Coca Cola. Nestl owns 6,000 brands.
Nestl Purina PetCare is the Swiss pet food subsidiary of Nestl SA. Nestls Frisk 2001PetCare Company and American Ralston Purina Company merge. Purina founder William H. Danforth started producing feed for a variety of farm animals in 1984 under the name Purina Mills. Well-known dog brands include Alpo, Arthurs, Bakers, Bonnie, Dog Chow, Felix, Gourmet, ONE, Purina Pro Plan, Winalot etc. Ralston Purina was made famous by its “chessboard” brand.
Alpo is a pet food manufacturer founded in 1936 and owned by Nestle Purina PetCare. Alpo offers canned food, soft food and dry food. For many years, the brand’s commercial TV spokesman has been Lorne Greene, who developed the concept that dog food is so good that it can be eaten by its owner.
Purina ONE is a premium pet food, part of Nestle Purina PetCare. Usually contains some type of meat as the first ingredient of the name, as well as by-products, grains (Brewer`s rice, corn gluten meal, corn).
Mars, Inc. was founded in 1911 in Washington DC. Serves the entire world. Products – Mars, MMs, Milky Way, Bounty, Snickers, Twix, Pedigree, Uncle Bens, Skittles, Dove/Galaxy, Juicy Fruit, Spearmint, Doublemint, Orbit, Hubba Bubba etc. Many Mars products are well known including Cesar, Royal Canin, Techni-Cal.
Pedigree Petfoods (Mars) was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in the UK. Mars Confections, a large chocolate and confectionery company, was acquired by Chappel Brothers in 1934, which sold Chappie canned dog food made from meat that was not fit for human consumption. In 1939 the company became known as Chappie Ltd. Later the company was renamed Petfoods Ltd. In 1975 it became part of Pedigree Petfoods (Mars Ltd). Mars, Incorporated is the market leader in dog and cat food. Pedigree’s long-standing motto is “The best breeders recommend” and its current motto is “We are for dogs”.
The Pedigree Foundation is a philanthropic organization that helps homeless dogs find homes by supporting shelters, rescue organizations, helping dog lovers adopt animals and sacrificing for their well-being. The main ingredients in Pedigree dry food are corn, wheat, a possible allergen, meat and bone meal (derived from slaughterhouse residues) and animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), lard preserved with BHA.
Royal Canin is a French company founded in 1967 and owned by Mars since 2002. Royal Canin acquired the TSD, Medi-Cal and Tech-Cal brands from Del Monte Foods. The company is known for its wide range of foods tailored to breed specificities or certain specific diseases.