| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet food |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | 8700 Mason-Montgomery Rd., Mason, Ohio, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Dog food, cat food, animal health products |
| Owner(s) | Procter & Gamble |
| Website | www.Iams.com |
Iams is a brand name for dog food and cat food manufactured by Procter & Gamble (P&G). The company sells pet food for cats and dogs formulated for puppy/kitten, adult and mature. Its products are developed by nutritionists and veterinarians and can be found in three main formulas: ProActive Health, Healthy Naturals and Premium Protection. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also available.[1][2][3]
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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 Ohio State University in 1938, founded The Iams Company in 1946 in a small feed mill near Dayton. In 1950, he developed the world’s first animal-based protein, dry dog food and called it Iams 999.[1][5] In 1969, Paul Iams formulated a new dog food and named it Eukanuba. Prior to founding Iams and Eukanuba, he worked for a number of companies including his father’s feed business in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1973 during the Arab oil embargo, the costs for meat and bone meal tripled, but sale prices were frozen by a nationwide wage and price control issued by then-President Richard Nixon.[6] Iams did not change the product formula during the price freeze mandate and the company nearly went broke.[4] Clay Mathile, who joined Iams in 1970, purchased half of the company in 1975.[7][8] By 1982, he became the sole owner and president.[9] After expanding the company from $100,000 turnover in 1970 to $900 million in 1999, Mathile sold it to P&G in September 1999.[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 1999, Helen Woodward Animal Center and Iams established Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH), a holiday pet adoption drive. The drive started with 14 animal rescue organizations in San Diego and has expanded its network to more than 3,500 in 21 different countries. Since it began in 1999, the adoption program has helped place more than 4.6 million pets into homes.[11]
In 2008 and 2009, actresses and pet adoption advocates Felicity Huffman and Hilary Swank served as the celebrity ambassadors for the IH4TH program, respectively.[12] In 2010, five million meals were donated to network animal shelters through the IH4TH Bags 4 Bowls program.[13][14]
Through the Friends for Life Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF), Iams raises money for pets affected in natural disasters across the world.[15]
In 2002, a film by animal rights organizations PETA slated Iams for the way the company conducted animal research at external laboratories. Iams ended its relationship with the Sinclair Research Center in 2003, stating that the filmed activity was contrary to the company's strict, long-standing animal studies policies.[16] Since 2006, studies are 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. This center and studies are subjected to unannounced examinations by the ASPCA.[17]
However, as of 2011, some organisations (PETA among others) claim that Iams is still testing in cruel or inhumane ways.[18]
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