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Science Diet

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.

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]

  • March 16, 2007 [6] & March 27, 2017 [7] — FDA Recall on Science Diet Savory Cuts canned cat food due to "melamine contamination" (chemical used in plastics manufacture)
  • April 1, 2007 — Manufactured Recall on Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food due to "melamine contamination" (chemical used in plastics manufacture)[8]
  • June 2, 2014 — FDA Recall for Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food products for potential "salmonella contamination" regarding 62 bags in total. This was limited to the following states: California, Hawaii and Nevada.[9]
  • November 28, 2015 — Manufactured Recall due to "Labelling problems" on Adult Perfect Weight Chicken and Vegetables, Small & Toy Adult Gourmet Beef Entrée, Small & Toy Mature Gourmet Beef Entrée, Adult Beef Entrée, Adult Beef & Chicken Entrée, and Mature Adult Gourmet Beef Entree.[10]
  • January 31, 2019 — Manufactured Recall on Hill's Prescription dog food as well as wet Science Diet for "Elevated levels of vitamin D" [11]

External links

References

  1. Hill's Pet Nutrition^
  2. Original 1959 Letter from Mark Morris Jr. to Hill Packing Company wikimedia^
  3. Mark Morris Sr. Mark Morris Institute, retrieved December 5, 2010^
  4. Serena Ng. 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, 2013-02-06, retrieved 2013-02-07^
  5. Kate Barrington. 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 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^
  8. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. hillspet.com, July 24, 2008^
  9. 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 www.petful.com, June 2, 2014, retrieved 2019-08-18^
  10. Hill's Science Diet Recall History Petful^
  11. Dog Food Recalls 2018-2019: Is Your Brand on This List? Petful, August 6, 2019^