Kibbles 'n Bits is a brand name of

dog food Dog food is food specifically formulated and intended for consumption by dogs and other related canines. Dogs are considered to be omnivores with a carnivorous bias. They have the sharp, pointed teeth and shorter gastrointestinal tracts of ca ...

currently owned by

The J.M. Smucker Company The J.M. Smucker Company, also known as Smuckers, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter. J.M. Smucker currently has three major bus ...

since it acquired its previous owner,

Big Heart Pet Brands Big Heart Pet Brands is an American company that manufacturers, distributes and markets branded pet food and other products for the U.S. retail market. Now a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Company, it is headquartered at the One Maritime Plaza i ...

, in 2015. The brand was originally created in 1981 as the first dual textured dog food, having soft chewy pieces as well as hard crunchy ones. It was developed by

Quaker Oats The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Precursor miller companies In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...

as part of their Ken'l Ration brand. In 1985, more bits ingredients were added to the dog food and the brand was renamed "Kibbles 'n Bits 'n Bits 'n Bits." Their advertising feature a bulldog named Spike that would say "I want my Kibble and Bits." The addition of more bits and it popular creative ads increased it sales by double its sales estimates. The Lawrence KS plant that manufactured the product was also recognized for its "Go for the Gold" group incentive plan. In 1995, Kibbles 'n Bits was acquired by the

H.J. Heinz Company The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...

, which in turn sold their pet food division to

Del Monte Foods Del Monte Foods, Inc (trading as Del Monte Foods) is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketer of br ...

later on. It is currently the fifth largest dry dog food brand in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

plant produces around 1.7 million pounds a day, 9.9 million pounds a week and around 497 million pounds of Kibbles 'n Bits dog food a year. Kibbles 'n Bits was among several brands recalled in February 2018 due to

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

findings of sodium pentobarbital, a drug used in

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

References

External links

* Products introduced in 1981 Dog food brands Del Monte Foods brands Heinz brands The J.M. Smucker Co. brands 1981 establishments in the United States {{food-product-stub