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World’s Wealthiest Pet Food Companies and Maybe Why

For sales worldwide, who are top money makers in pet food? Hint: the top six world pet food brands are U.S. companies. Are they top money makers because FDA allows them to violate law?

For sales worldwide, who are top money makers in pet food? Hint: the top six world pet food brands are U.S. companies. Are they top money makers because FDA allows them to violate law?

The PetFoodIndustry.com publication provides a list of “the world’s top” pet food companies (I prefer to call them the world’s wealthiest). In reverse order, the top six wealthiest pet food companies in the world are…

#6 World Pet Food Sales: Blue Buffalo Pet Food

Annual revenue 2015: $1,027,447,000.00

Blue Buffalo settled a consumer lawsuit in 2015 (false advertising) for $32 million – the largest pet food consumer lawsuit payout to date. The company is still involved in a lawsuit with Purina; Purina suing for false advertising. Blue Buffalo corporate headquarters is located in Wilton, CT and the company owns a manufacturing facility in Joplin, MO. Blue Buffalo is a publicly traded company. Pet food brands include Blue and Blue Buffalo. The brand is sold in North America, and Asia Pacific.

#5 World Pet Food Sales: Diamond Pet Food

Annual revenue 2015: $1,150,000,000.00

Diamond Pet Food has multiple brands of their own, but the company is also known as being a co-packer (manufacturer) of other brands. Diamond pet food states they are ‘family owned’. Diamond settled a consumer lawsuit in 2014 (related to 2012 recalls). Company headquarters is in Meta, MO with additional manufacturing facilities in South Carolina, and two in California. Diamond pet foods are sold in Eastern Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Western Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.

#4 World Pet Food Sales: Hill’s Pet Food

Annual revenue 2015: $2,212,000,000.00

Hill’s pet food is a division of Colgate-Palmolive Company. Hill’s operates manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Bowling Green, KY, Topeka, KS, Emporia, KS, and Richmond, IN. Hill’s also runs manufacturing and warehousing facilities in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Brands include Hill’s (mostly prescription pet food) and Science Diet. Hill’s/Science Diet pet foods are sold in Asia Pacific, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, North America, Latin America, and Western Europe.

#3 World Pet Food Sales: Big Heart Pet Food

Annual revenue 2015: $2,280,300,000.00

Formerly part of DelMonte Foods, Big Heart pet food is now a division of Smuckers. In North America Big Heart is stated to be the top seller of dog snacks (Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Milo’s Kitchen) and second in dry cat food (Meow Mix and 9 Lives). Another brand is Natural Balance. Corporate headquarters is located in San Francisco, CA. Big Heart has manufacturing plants in Decatur, AL, Lawrence, KS, Buffalo, NY, Topeka, KS and Bloomsburg, PA. Sales only in North America.

#2 World Pet Food Sales: Nestle Purina

Annual revenue 2015: $11,917,000,000.00

The PetFoodIndustry.com website terms Purina as “a juggernaut in the global pet care industry”. Interestingly Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘juggernaut’ as “a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path.” (I would guess Blue Buffalo – being sued by Purina – would agree with the term juggernaut.)

“Nestlé Purina also operates pet food factories in 19 countries and on every habitable continent.” Purina has 46 manufacturing plants worldwide, 20 manufacturing plants in the US.  North America corporate headquarters is in St. Louis, MO, EU corporate headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Brands include Cat Chow, Dog Chow, Alpo, Purina ONE and ProPlan. Purina brands sell in Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe.

#1 World Pet Food Sales: Mars Petcare

Annual revenue 2015: $17,224,400,000.00

Mars Inc. is “the seventh-largest private company in the U.S., with annual sales exceeding $33 billion” – the pet food division providing more than half of annual sales to Mars. A US company, the Mars Petcare website states corporate headquarters (Mars Petcare) is in Brussels, Belgium.

Inquiring minds want to know…Belgium offers a “unique type of tax evasion to get foreign companies to invest their money here. This allows big international players to avoid paying taxes on most of their profits. The system is called ‘excess profit ruling’. It means that a Belgian branch of a multinational only has to pay taxes on the profit it would make as a single company, without the benefits of its international network.”

Mars Petcare has 41 different brands with five that earn over $1 billion a year; Pedigree, Iams, Whiskas, Royal Canin and Banfield veterinary clinics. Mars Petcare brands sell in Asia Pacific, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, North America, Latin America, and Western Europe.

Now here’s the interesting part…

Of these six world’s wealthiest pet food brands…all six of them use ingredients that can be a violation of U.S. federal food safety law.

The pet food ingredients – Chicken/Poultry by-products, Chicken/Poultry by-product meal, Meat Meal (such as beef meal, lamb meal), Meat and Bone Meal, Animal by-product meal, Animal Fat and Animal Digest – are allowed to (per their legal definition) be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals. Pet food ingredients sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals are a direct violation of federal law. FDA openly ignores enforcement of this law.

#6 Blue Buffalo uses Lamb Meal – legal definition allows ingredient to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

#5 Diamond uses Chicken by-product meal, Meat meal – legal definitions allow ingredients to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

#4 Hill’s uses Lamb Meal – legal definition allows ingredient to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

#3 Big Heart uses Meat and bone meal, Animal fat, Animal digest, Lamb meal, Poultry by-product meal – legal definitions allow ingredients to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

#2 Purina uses Meat and bone meal, Chicken/Poultry by-product meal, Animal fat, Animal digest – legal definitions allow ingredients to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

#1 Mars uses Chicken/Poultry by-product meal, Meat and bone meal, Animal fat, Animal digest, Lamb meal – legal definitions allow ingredients to be sourced from dead/diseased non-slaughtered animals.

Question

Do you think the annual revenue of these companies would be the same if FDA enforced law?

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Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. Holly

    May 12, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    I’m wondering why FDA allows lamb meal to be from an animal which died other than by slaughter, but that’s not allowed with other meals such as chicken meal , turkey meal , salmon meal etc.

    • Susan Thixton

      May 12, 2016 at 9:00 pm

      It is all based on the legal definition of ingredients (they are written by AAFCO but are approved by FDA). The legal definition of chicken meal (turkey meal or any poultry meal) has the requirement to be sourced from slaughtered poultry. The legal definition of all other meals do not have that requirement. I can tell you with certainty (stated at summer 2015 AAFCO meeting) ingredient definitions are written based on what industry sells to pet food. In other words, consumers can more than safely assume that dead/diseased non-slaughtered lamb and beef ARE being included in lamb meal and beef meal.

      • Casey

        May 13, 2016 at 11:41 am

        I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that diseased chickens (not for human consumption) are sometimes slaughtered en masse via gas. I can’t think of a similar situation with other food animals.

        • Susan Thixton

          May 13, 2016 at 11:50 am

          Spent laying hens (hens no longer producing eggs) are also gassed or they are killed by maceration (ground alive). Either way, those birds all go into animal feed (livestock feed or pet food). With other livestock – the bodies have to be disposed of and regulation is very strict on how to dispose of bodies. Their bodies about have to be incinerated or rendered – burial is close to impossible because of the numbers of bodies and because of risk to human health (airborne disease from decomposing animal carcasses). My guess – is that because they have to ‘cook’ the material in some form (incineration or rendering) to protect human health they have decided they might as well sell this waste to pet food/animal feed. My guess would be lobby groups convinced FDA this is acceptable.

  2. Edith

    May 12, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    Get over your crazy uneducated selves.
    Learn about nutrition before you talk.
    And… All of your pets will end up needing therapeuyic foods; yes, those you so criticize

    • Susan Thixton

      May 12, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      What part of this post was “uneducated”? Please explain your comment.

    • Dianne

      May 12, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      ????????? Huh!???? I would be very willing to bet that Susan knows a lot more about pet nutrition than you do? All it takes to learn is access to information and a working brain with at least average intelligence and an interest in the topic. It is a myth to think that only someone with a degree is intelligent enough to learn about “complex” topics.

    • Pat P.

      May 12, 2016 at 10:42 pm

      Edith,
      I noticed that in Susan’s article “The Last Piece of the Puzzle”, your were equally ignorantly aggressive, as in this offensive attack on her, always well-researched material. In that article you were obtuse and defiant about the innocence of the “Prescription” pet food companies, such as Hills and Royal Canin, insisting on their uninvolvement with the education provided in veterinary colleges, as well as any influence they may have on the students.
      Fortunately, other commenters fired back with evidence of your falsehoods and indignation with your attacks.

      If you continue with your absurdly negative misinformation and assaults on Susan Thixton and/or her supporters, you will thoroughly convince most of us of your connection with the pet food industry, probably, the companies you are so insistent on defending. You will also, IMO, increase doubt in their already questionable integrity and concern with their unhealthy/toxic ingredients.

      If you insist on your accusatory commentary, at least provide some specific evidence of any proported truth behind your criticisms and do it with some respect, civility and maturity!

      • regina

        May 14, 2016 at 12:02 pm

        Pat P.
        That was an excellent response to Edith.
        ‘nuf said.

    • Debi Cohen

      May 13, 2016 at 8:21 am

      People like you are what is making these companies rich.

    • Ruth Thomson

      May 18, 2016 at 7:02 pm

      Edith, you are the uneducated one!!! We have learned about nutrition the hard way, from losing our beloved furry children to the horrible, poison pet “food” put out by the big name manufacturer’s!!! You are the one who needs to be educated about correct nutrition for our pets!! You have obviously been drinking the kool-aid for a long time & it’s a wonder you even take the time to comment on this site! You obviously know nothing about proper nutrition for pets!! Please stop commenting unless you have something productive to say or some proof to back up your comments. We all know there is no danger of that happening!!

      Believe me, we would NEVER feed our pets ANY of the big name foods out there, because we know it would kill them!!

      Susan has saved many of our beloved furry children, including my own. We owe her a debt we could never repay. She has our eternal gratitude for her work on behalf of our pets!!! Thank you Susan!!!

      Sincerely,
      Ruth Thomson in AZ

  3. Mary Marseglia

    May 12, 2016 at 10:06 pm

    And it is ALL GARBAGE!!!! There is not one good commercial dry kibble on the market in the entire world. Only a few higher quality, grain-free “as low in starches as possible” canned foods but feeding a complete raw diet is your best bet for your pets! Its been around for 30,000yrs for domestic dogs; 16,000 yrs for domestic cats and 40+ million years for our dogs and cats wild carnivore ancestors. The PFI does NOT know more than Nature and they never will.

    • Teresa

      May 13, 2016 at 6:55 am

      My thoughts exactly. In every other situation such as zoos for example, the animals are fed species appropriate food. Only domesticated pets and humans stray from their natural diets. And we are the poorer for it.

    • Pacific Sun

      May 14, 2016 at 1:32 am

      Not in defense of kibble, but there’s a difference between serving it as a steady diet 365 days a year, and as a backup. Mulligan’s Stew used to do kibble right. But they couldn’t keep up the price point. Check out Natures Logic (they claim ingredients suitable for human consumption, with no Chinese supplements). Good customer service. It was reviewed through TAPF. https://truthaboutpetfood.com/petsumer-report-review-of-the-month-45/

  4. Pam grimes

    May 13, 2016 at 2:47 am

    I do not have to be convinced of the unethical and illegal practices of the big boys who act so innocent while they lie about the garbage they produce and call pet food. I am still surprised by some of their ploys. I call the pet food isle the isle of death in the stores. I lost one perfect spirit to the duck and potato game. No more, we make our 3 pups very nutritious food from raw food components. All cooked together like our own meals. PEOPLE NEED TO WAKE UP AND STOP GIVING MONEY FOR GARBAGE THEY WOULD THROW OUT AT HOME. We did hit Purina in the pocket and we can keep it up. MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD. I will continue to talk to people at the stores if I see death in their basket . My promise to my boy was to save others and I know I have and will continue to do so.

    • Mark A.

      May 13, 2016 at 11:29 am

      Well said, Pam. I loved your post.

      My beautiful, smart, and advanced cat was lost to a downward spiral of bad food, drugs, and ignorance (on my part). My promise to his sweet soul is to help is brethren here on earth. I have stood in a pet store food aisle, practically in tears, reading ingredients on small, independent pet food brands which contain stuff I know to be inappropriate: potato and other starches, various vegetable gums, carrageenan, and more. I don’t even LOOK at the big brand labels. I have adopted a rescue cat and don’t want her to succumb to the pet food “system.” There are some decent foods out there if you want/need to feed canned, but one has to look long and hard for them. Comments I hear from people with similar concerns include: “look at animals now suffering the same diseases humans have . . . we are ALL eating garbage!”, and “animals on the streets in the poorest countries are healthier than those in well-off homes in America.” Whether you agree with these statements or not, it certainly gives one pause to consider WHY so many animals pass at a younger age these days.

  5. Kathryn S

    May 13, 2016 at 10:39 am

    To answer the question “would the annual revenue of these companies be the same if the FDA enforced the rules?”
    – no, of course not; 1. because the company would not be willing to purchase the USDA Approved for Human Consumption products, and
    2. even if they were, the average dog/cat food purchaser could no longer afford the cost and would find, as many of us have, that it’s easier, less ( in the long run ) expensive and better, again in the long run, for our animals to purchase the ingredients for their meals at the same retailer that we obtain our own meats/veggies/fruits/eggs/dairy/appropriate supplements.

  6. Monika & Sam

    May 24, 2016 at 4:16 pm

    Yipes! With this kind of consolidation I think I may need to go back to being a hunter/gatherer.

  7. Max

    June 20, 2016 at 11:34 am

    That’s a staggering number! Multi-billion dollar industry.
    And I don’t think their profits are going to will change even if the regulations changed.
    It is a business after all, they will do things to prevent the loss.

  8. Christina

    August 2, 2016 at 10:16 am

    I didn’t know that Mars Petcare owned pedigree, iams and whiskas. No wonder they’re raking it in.

  9. Ana Annett Gano

    November 7, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    So what is if any a brand that can be trusted as safe and healthy?

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