Iams
Brand of cat and dog food
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iams (/ˈaɪəmz/) is an American brand of dog food and cat food manufactured by Spectrum Brands in Europe and Mars, Incorporated worldwide excluding Europe. The food is formulated for the puppy/kitten, adult and mature stages of life. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also produced.[1]
- Mars, Incorporated
(In specific countries) - Spectrum Brands
(Europe only)
 | |
| Product type | Pet food |
|---|---|
| Owner |
|
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1946 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | iams.com |
History
During the 1940s, because pet food was not available in stores, animals were predominantly fed homemade food, usually table scraps.[2] Paul Iams, an animal nutritionist who graduated from the Ohio State University in 1937, founded the Iams Company in 1946 in a small feed mill near Dayton, Ohio.[3] In the 1950s, he developed the world's first animal-based protein dry dog food and called it Iams 999.[1][4]
During the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the cost of meat and bone meal tripled, while sale prices in the U.S. were frozen under Phase I of President Richard Nixon's Economic Stabilization Program.[5] Iams did not change its product formula during this period, and the company nearly went bankrupt as a result.[2] Clay Mathile, who had joined Iams in 1970, purchased half of the company in 1975.[6] In 1982, he became its sole owner and president.[7] Having increased company revenue from $100,000 in 1970 to $900 million in 1999, Mathile sold Iams to Procter & Gamble in September 1999.[3][8]
In its largest divestiture in five years, Procter & Gamble announced in April 2014 that it would sell the Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura pet-food brands in all markets except Europe to Mars, Inc. for $2.9 billion in cash.[9] Mars said that the deal would allow it to gain a new business and generate cash to grow core businesses.[10] The deal for P&G Pet Care's operations in North America and Latin America was completed in August 2014.[11] P&G also exercised options to acquire Mars's pet-food business in some parts of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, including Australia, Japan and Singapore.[12][13] Procter & Gamble sold its European pet-care business to Spectrum Brands in December 2014.[14]
In 2025, the company launched an awareness campaign addressing feline obesity, featuring the fictional character Garfield.[15][16]
