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| Product type | Pet food |
|---|---|
| Owner |
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| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1946; 80 years ago (1946) |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | iams.com |
Iams (/ˈaɪəmz/) is an American brand ofdog food andcat food manufactured bySpectrum Brands in Europe andMars, 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]
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 theOhio State University in 1937, founded the Iams Company in 1946 in a small feed mill nearDayton, 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 the1973 Arab oil embargo, the cost of meat and bone meal tripled, while sale prices in the U.S. were frozen under Phase I of PresidentRichard Nixon'sEconomic 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 toProcter & 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 characterGarfield.[15][16]
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