Science Diet

Last updated
Hill's Science Diet
Company type Public
Industry Pet food
Founded Topeka, Kansas (1960s)
Headquarters Topeka, Kansas, United States
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsDog food, Cat food
Owner Colgate-Palmolive
Website hillspet.com

Science Diet is a brand of cat and dog foods marketed by Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. [1] (a subsidiary of the Colgate-Palmolive Company). In the United Kingdom and Europe, Science Diet operates as Science Plan.

Contents

History

Science Diet was developed in the 1960s [2] by Mark L. Morris Jr. PhD DVM (February 3, 1934 January 14, 2007). Dr. Morris Jr. was the son of veterinarian Dr. Mark Morris Sr. DVM, who pioneered the field of veterinary clinical nutrition after being asked to formulate a specialized diet for the original seeing-eye dog, Buddy, a female German Shepherd with kidney disease. That success led Dr. Morris Sr. and his son to devise additional condition-specific and life-stage pet food formulas under the Prescription Diet and Science Diet brand names. [3]

The Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet brands steadily gained market share, peaking in 2008 at 10.7% of dog food sales, but by 2011, this had dropped to 9.4% with shifts in consumer preferences toward pet foods marketed as "natural" and consumer perceptions of Science Diet as being "artificial". [4]

Recalls

Science Diet has had multiple product recalls. [5]

References

  1. "Hill's Pet Nutrition".
  2. "Original 1959 Letter from Mark Morris Jr. to Hill Packing Company" (PDF). wikimedia.
  3. "Mark Morris Sr". Mark Morris Institute. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  4. Ng, Serena (2013-02-06). "Pet-Food Brand's Image Bites Back Colgate: Sales Decline for Science Diet Line as Dog and Cat Owners Increasingly Value Marketing Pitches Like 'Natural' and 'Wild'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  5. Barrington, Kate. "Science Diet Dog Food : 2019 Review, Recalls & Coupons". Dog Food Guide.
  6. "Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Announces Voluntary Participation in Menu Foods' Nationwide U.S. and Canadian recall of Specific Canned Cat Foods" (PDF). www.petful.com. March 16, 2007. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  7. "Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Announces Voluntary Participation in Menu Foods' Nationwide U.S. recall of Specific Canned Cat Foods". January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009.
  8. "Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc". hillspet.com. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Hill's Science Diet Recall History". Petful.
  10. "Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls 62 Bags of "ScienceDiet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™" Dry Dog Food in California, Hawaii and Nevada Because of Potential Health Risk" (PDF). www.petful.com. June 2, 2014. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  11. "Dog Food Recalls 2018-2019: Is Your Brand on This List?". Petful. August 6, 2019.