Iams () is an American brand of
dog food and
cat food manufactured by
Spectrum Brands in Europe and
Mars, Incorporated worldwide. The food is formulated for the puppy/kitten, adult and mature stages of life. Iams products are developed by nutritionists and veterinarians and may be found in three main formulas: ProActive Health, Healthy Naturals and Premium Protection. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also produced.
According to Iams, since 2006, studies have been conducted in pet owners' homes, P&G Pet Care's Pet Health & Nutrition Center and locations where dogs and cats are already living such as assistance dog organizations.
History
During the 1940s, because pet food was not available in stores, animals were predominantly fed homemade food, usually table scraps.
In 1969, Iams formulated a new dog food and named it
Eukanuba.
In 1973 during the
Arab oil embargo
The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
, the costs for meat and bone meal tripled, but sale prices in the U.S. were frozen by a nationwide wage and price control issued by President
Richard Nixon. Iams did not change the product formula during the price-freeze mandate and the company nearly went bankrupt.
Clay Mathile
Clayton Lee Mathile (pronounced uh-til (born January 11, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman best known for leading Iams to nearly $1 billion in sales before selling it to Procter & Gamble (P&G) for $2.3 billion in 1999 in what was, a ...
, who had joined Iams in 1970, purchased half of the company in 1975. By 1982, he became its sole owner and president. After expanding the company from $100,000 revenue in 1970 to $900 million in 1999, Mathile sold it to
Procter & Gamble (P&G) in September 1999.
In July 2006, P&G reorganized the Pet Health & Nutrition division into P&G Pet Care (consisting of the Iams and Eukanuba brands).
In its largest divestiture in five years, Procter & Gamble announced in April 2014 that it would sell its Iams, Eukanuba and Natura pet-food brands in all markets except Europe to
Mars, Incorporated for $2.9 billion in cash. P&G said that the deal would allow it to lose a slow performer and generate cash to grow core businesses. The deal for P&G Pet Care's operations in North America and Latin America was completed in August 2014. Mars, Inc. also exercised options to acquire P&G's pet-food business in some parts of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, including Australia, Japan and Singapore. P&G sold its European pet-care business to
Spectrum Brands in December 2014.
References
External links
*
{{Mars, Incorporated
Cat food brands
Dog food brands
Companies based in Dayton, Ohio
American companies established in 1946
Food and drink companies established in 1946
1946 establishments in Ohio
Mars brands
Former Procter & Gamble brands