Iams (/ˈaɪəmz/) 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. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also produced.[1]
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.[2][3]
History
During the 1940s, because pet food was not available in stores, animals were predominantly fed homemade food, usually table scraps.[4]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.[5] In 1950, he developed the world's first animal-based protein dry dog food and called it Iams 999.[1][6] In 1969, Paul Iams wanted to differentiate the new formula from other Iams products. Iams chose to name this new formula "Eukanuba", a term originated by jazz era personality Hoagy Carmichael, meaning "the tops" or "something supreme".[dubious – discuss]
In 1973 during the Arab oil embargo, the costs for meat and bone meal tripled. Sale prices in the U.S. were frozen by a nationwide wage and price control was issued by ex-president Richard Nixon.[7] Iams did not change the product formula during the price-freeze mandate and the company nearly went bankrupt.[4]Clay Mathile, who had joined Iams in 1970, purchased half of the company in 1975.[8] By 1982, he became its sole owner and president.[9] 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.[5][10] 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.[11] 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.[12][13] P&G sold its European pet-care business to Spectrum Brands in December 2014.[14]
