Per Reuters “J. M. Smucker Co said on Wednesday it would buy Rachael Ray Dog food maker Ainsworth Pet Nutrition for about $1.9 billion in cash to strengthen its pet food portfolio.”
“Ainsworth Pet Nutrition is an excellent strategic fit for our company, as the Rachael Ray Nutrish brand adds another high-growth, on-trend brand to our pet food portfolio,” J. M. Smucker Chief Executive Officer Mark Smucker said.
The deal, which the company will fund with debt, is valued at $1.9 billion, excluding an expected tax benefit of about $200 million.
The deal increases Smucker’s pet food portfolio to 15 brands.
From a Bloomberg.com post on the pet food purchase…
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-04/smucker-to-buy-rachael-ray-dog-food-brand-in-1-9-billion-deal
More from Bloomberg.com…
Under Chief Executive Officer Mark Smucker, who became the fifth generation of his family to run the business when he took over in 2016, the company has tried to take the pet business more upscale. High-end pet food has surged 33 percent industrywide over the past five years and now accounts for more than 50 percent of the market. Consumers are shelling out more money for specialty diets, part of a trend known as “humanization.” Ainsworth generates about two-thirds of its sales from its Rachel Ray Nutrish brand.
“The humanization trend is here to stay,” the CEO said in an interview. “This brand fits exactly where we need it to — it’s very important to continue to gain scale where it’s relevant.”
Not included in any press release about the sale: all of the current Ainsworth pet products are feed grade pet products.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
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S. Roberts
April 4, 2018 at 9:30 pm
Must be nice to have so much damn money that you don’t know what to do with it and you just keeping buying up more and more companies or whatever while most people struggle daily and truly struggle to find a good dog food or treat that will not kill their pets !
Pet Owner
April 4, 2018 at 9:34 pm
I thought JM Smucker (Big Heart) were the people who screwed up Gravy Train?
radbola
April 4, 2018 at 9:41 pm
So SICK of the mega corp model. Nothing quality or good comes from it. Ever.
Lorraine
April 4, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Are they looking for more brands of dog food to add the pentobarbital too? Or maybe this is something to calm down the talk about what was found in the brands of food they already own.
Noreen Nugeness
April 4, 2018 at 11:58 pm
This is terrible! It’s at the point where we’re afraid to give our babies anything even a treat. I buy Organic Blue Buffalo Treats and want to know if they are safe. Why are we continuing to buy toys from China still when so many animals died from treats and toys that came from there? What is a Pet Parent supposed to do? We’re supposed to protect our “Family Members” but who’s protecting us from giving them food that could kill them? Doesn’t anybody care besides us. I agree with S. Roberts, it must be nice to have so much damn money that they can keep buying out companies while we struggle and most of all live in fear every time we prepare a meal for our best friends, our fur babies. Unfortunately, it’s all about the money!
Chris
April 5, 2018 at 1:41 am
Ainsworth has their own brands but also does Walmart’s Pure Balance pet food as well. That’s not disclosed so how many other labels made by Ainsworth are there?
Reader
April 5, 2018 at 2:52 am
Too bad RR decided to sell out too. (Yawn). She was actually in a position to do something great with PF if she had truly cared. Kind of like Dick Van Patten (Natural Balance) in the very, very beginning. When he cared about putting his name on a product. Sad, how celebrities see these PF options as just another “investment opportunity!”
Denise
April 5, 2018 at 7:31 am
I guess Rachael Ray doesn’t care about what happens to her pet food. I was told it’s not a good idea to buy pet foods that are advertised on TV anyway, so I don’t. I would rather do the research myself and then decide what is best for my pets, I pick from the list I purchased here and go from there.
T Allen
April 5, 2018 at 8:52 am
Rachel Ray has been garbage feed from the start. Per Dog Food Advisor, her first food got 2.5 stars. It’s taken years but she finally has a 4.5 star food which is still a plant based, pea chow, that is 47% carbohydrates (sugar). The use of whole dried potatoes that are a byproduct of potato processing is of concern in all dog foods because those rejected potatoes are likely high in solanine. I have never seen any research on long term feeding of solanine although short term acute effects are well documented in humans and livestock. https://wagwalking.com/condition/potato-green-poisoning
Shannon
April 5, 2018 at 9:39 pm
So relieved that I don’t have to worry about this for our fur babies anymore. Raw fed, make all of their treats, so much more healthy for them!!