Is Hill s pet food manufactured in Europe

20 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in the UK (2024 Update)

Pet food manufacturing is a massive industry thats constantly evolving to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers. Americans spend more money on pet food and supplies than other countries, but the United Kingdom is a close second. Dry food for cats and dogs was once the top seller in the UK, but wet food has become more competitive and now leads the sales in the pet food market. With the introduction of more premium brands and subscription services, the largest pet food companies are trying to maintain their market shares by buying out smaller private companies.

Top 20 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in the UK

Top 20 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in the UK

1. Mars Inc.

Mars is world-famous for its candy and chewing gum factories, but it is also the largest pet food manufacturer in the world. Since 1935, Mars Petcare has led the competition in producing food and treats for dogs and cats. The company also manages veterinary facilities such as BANFIELD, AniCura, Linnaeus, VCA, BLUEPEARL, and ANTECH. Recently, the firm introduced a new service in the UK called Natusan that delivers eco-friendly cat litter. The litter is compostable and can be used as agricultural fertilizer.

Mars Petcare has a long list of pet food brands, including the following:

• Whiskas
• Yams
• Sheba
• Royal Canin
• Cesar
• I nurture
• Dreamies
• Temptations
• Greenies
• Buckeye
• Eukanuba

2. Nestl Purina Petcare

Like Mars, Nestl Purina Petcare is well-known for its sweet treats, and it is a significant player in the UK pet food industry. In 2001, Nestl bought Ralston Purina and became one of the largest pet care corporations. In 2007, Purina became one of the first companies to offer probiotic supplements (FortiFlora) for dogs and cats.

Nestl Purina owns 1,935 companies, but here are some of the brands you may recognize:

• Felix
• Gourmet
• Purina One
• Go-Cat
• PRO PLAN
• Dentalife
• Beyond
• Bakers
• Beta
• Winalot
• Bonio
• would come

3. Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive makes numerous products like soap and toothpaste, but Hills Pet Nutrition division is a market leader in premium wet and dry pet food. Hills Pet Nutrition produces the Science Diet, Healthy Advantage, and Bioactive brands, but its Prescription Diet stands out as its most innovative offering. Prescription Diet foods are formulated for pets with medical issues, and you can only buy them with a veterinarians recommendation.

4. Harringtons Pet Food

Harringtons began as a milling business in the late 19^th century but switched over to pet food manufacturing in the 1980s. The UK-based company makes all-natural pet food for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, and it offers a subscription service for monthly deliveries. Its brands include Harringtons Natural, Harringtons Grain-Free, and Just 6.

5. Harbro Group LTD.

Based in Turriff, UK, Harbro Group LTD. offers a wide range of products for farm animals, pets, and humans. Although their agricultural feeds make up the bulk of their sales, they also produce dog food and feed for wild birds. Their brands include Woofers Dog Food and Peckers Wild Bird Feed.

6. Butchers Pet Care Limited

Butchers Pet Care began as a small family-owned company in Northampton, UK, and developed into an international corporation. It produces high-protein meals for cats and dogs without added preservatives, artificial colours, or artificial flavors.

Some of the brands offered by Butchers include the following:

• Butchers Natural and Healthy
• Butchers Functional
• Butchers Delicious Dinners
• Butchers Bio Foods
• Butchers Pro Series
• Butchers Super Foods
• Butchers Dental Care

7. Pets Choice

The origins of Pets Choice date back to 1881 when it was the Davies Dog Food Company. Now, Pets Choice is a growing pet food giant that owns 13 brands. In 2016, the company added Webbox Natural and TastyBone to its long line of products.

Pets Choices brands include:

• Feathers and Beaky
• Wild Things
• The Original Davies
• Vitakraft
• Rufus
• Meatiful
• Spikes Hedgehog Food
• Webbox
• TastyBone
• Oceanic
• Bob Martin

8. Armitages Pet Products Limited

Armitages is one of Europes top pet supplies and pet food producers, and it has a royal warrant for supplying pet food to the Queen.

It makes over 2000 products, and some of its most popular products include:

• Good Boy
• Wild Bird
• Wafcol
• Meowee!
• Good Girl
• Gussie (for goldfish)

Although the raw food market is relatively new to the United States, Natures Menu has produced high-quality raw meals for dogs and cats since 1981 in Norwich, UK. The company gives tailored menu advice to their customers and provides portions based on the animals weight. Natures Menu uses responsibly sourced human-grade meat and whole fruits and vegetables in their recipes. Most of its products are for dogs, but the Especially for Cats brands feature several unique treats and meals for felines. Natures Menus brands include Especially for Cats, Country Hunter, Home Prepare, and Natures Menu Original.

10. Rosewood Pet Products

Located in Telford, UK, Rosewood Pet Products makes pet supplies and treats for dogs, cats, birds, and small animals. Whether you need a dog bed, cat toy, or treat for your pet gerbil, youre likely to find something to make your pet happy from Rosewood.

Some of its most popular products include:

• Daily Eats for Cats
• Natural Eats for Dogs
• Posh Eats for Dogs
• Chewy Bone
• Choc Drops
• Hennys
• Naturals Bird Treats
• Simply Nibbles

11. Lilys Kitchen

Lilys Kitchen was named after the owners beloved terrier Lily who suffered from a skin condition. Lilys condition improved after eating homemade meals made from fresh meat and garden vegetables. Lilys Kitchen still offers some of the same recipes served to the friendly terrier. In addition to its premium dog and cat food recipes, Lilys Kitchen makes specialized recipes for cats and dogs with sensitive stomachs and skin problems.

Some of its top sellers include:

• Halloween Beef Goooulash
• Festive Christmas Turkey Jerky
• Beef Dry Food with Ancient Grains
• Chicken and Beef Training Treats
• Tasty Cuts in Gravy
• Shredded Filets
• Chicken Treats

12. Fold Hill Food

Fold Hill Food specializes in farm-to-table meals for dogs and cats. The Grant family has farmed the Boston area of Lincolnshire for over 100 years, and today they farm 3,000 acres and employ over 160 local employees. Fold Hill relies on local sources for its ingredients, and it uses a solar power system to conserve energy and minimize its carbon footprint. Its signature brands include Chewdles, Fold Hill, Laughing Dog, and Pointer.

13. Cambrian Pet Foods Limited

Located in Llangadog, UK, Cambrian Pet Foods Limited is a dry and wet food manufacturer that helps private entrepreneurs and small companies develop unique pet food recipes. After designing proprietary recipes with their clients, Cambrian Pet takes care of the pet food production, packaging, and distribution.

14. Bulldog Products Limited

Founded in 1996, Bulldog Products eventually became the UKs largest manufacturer of wild bird food, fatballs, and bird treats. Bulldogs Linkpet brand uses environmentally friendly sources for its pet food, and it offers recipes for cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, and small birds. Dawn Chorus, the companys premium bird food line, makes high-energy suet treats, seed mixes, and fatballs for several bird species.

15. HiLife (Owned by: Town and Country Petfoods Limited)

Although Town and Country Petfoods Limited is much smaller than some of its competitors, it is provided high-quality cat and dog food to the UK for 30 years. The company owns the HiLife brand. HiLife offers several healthy recipes made from fresh meat and vegetables. HiLife prides itself on its all-natural ingredients, and it claims the tuna recipe for cats has ten times as much tuna as the leading brands.

Some of HiLifes top sellers include:

• HiLife Perfection
• HiLife Its Only Natural
• HiLife Treats
• HiLife Pets Pantry
• HiLife Banquet
• HiLife Chews Day

16. Grove Pet Foods

Grove Pet Foods specializes in manufacturing premium dog food, but its Alpha brand also makes recipes for cats and ferrets. It sources ingredients from local farms and offers several different protein levels in its dry dog food line. Alpha focuses on dry pet food and does not make recipes with wet food.

Some of the popular canine products include:

• Sensitive
• Working Maintenance
• Original Extra
• Grain-Free
• Gold
• Sensitive Extra
• Racer
• High Performance

Related Read:11 Largest Pet Food Manufacturers in Australia

17. Supreme Petfoods Limited

Founded in 1991, Supreme Petfoods is one of Europes top producers of small animal food. Supreme has a veterinarian-recommended line of products called Science Selective and a natural brand-named Tiny Friends Farm. Tiny Friends Farm makes pet food and small animal bedding.

Products from the Tiny Friends Farm include:

• Harry Hamster Tasty Mix
• Russel Rabbit Tasty Mix
• Gerty Guinea Pig Tasty Mix
• Russel Rabbit Tasty Nuggets
• Reggie Rat and Mimi Mouse Tasty Mix
• Gerri Gerbil Tasty Mix

18. Burns Pet Nutrition

Established in 1993, Burns Pet Nutrition was founded by veterinary surgeon John Burns. In 1997, Burns became the first UK pet food company to introduce chemical-free pet recipes. After discovering that you can preserve food with vitamin E and rosemary rather than anti-oxidizing chemicals, Burns used the process in its dry food line. Burns makes food for cats and rabbits, but most of its products are for canines.

Some of Burns top items include:

• Burns Wet Food
• Hypoallergenic Mixer
• Ocean Bites
• Turkey Bites
• Original
• Puppy Original
• Grain-Free Toy and Small Breed

19. Natural Instinct

Natural Instinct is a raw pet food company based in Chippenham, UK, that uses 100% British meat and fresh fruits and vegetables in its recipes. It produces high-protein recipes for cats and dogs and offers a variety of unique pet treats. Natural Instinct delivers their meals frozen so you can thaw what you need and store the rest in the freezer.

The companys top sellers include:

• Country Banquet Cat Food
• Pure Cat Food
• Natural Dog Food
• Working Dog Food
• Beef Jerky Treats
• Chicken Heart Treats
• Beef Liver Treats
• Beef Pipe Treats

20. Fish4Pets Limited

Located in Droitwich, UK, Fish4Pets Limited has produced pet food for cats and dogs since 2004. The company specializes in making premium dog food (Fish4Dogs) primarily composed of fresh fish, but it also carries a cat food line called Fish4Cats. Fish4Pets is an ideal choice for pets who have allergies to pork, beef, lamb, or poultry.

Some of Fish4Dogs and Fish4Cats best recipes include:

• Working Dog Salmon
• Working Dog Sardine
• Superior Salmon Puppy
• Finest Tuna with Sweet Potato and Green Bean
• Finest Salmon Mousse
• Finest Fish4Cats Sardine
• Finest Fish4Cats Sardine with Shrimp

Final Thoughts

The top three pet food manufacturersMars Inc., Nestl-Purina, and Colgate-Palmolivecontrol the largest share of the UK pet industry, but smaller operators are gaining ground and changing the landscape of the competitive market. Consumers are becoming more willing to buy higher-quality meals that cost much more than the standard kibble and canned food. Fresh pet food and raw meal services make up a small percentage of the UK market, but their growing popularity indicates the companies will eventually command a more significant share of the pet food profits in Europe.

Featured Image Credit: pedphoto36pm, Shutterstock

Hill's Pet Nutrition

Pet food company

Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., marketed simply as "Hill's", is an American pet food company that produces dog and cat foods. The company is a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive.

History[edit]

Hill's Pet Nutrition was founded in the spring of 1907 by Burton Hill and started operation as Hill Rendering Works.^[1][2] Hill Rendering Works provided rendering services to Shawnee County, Kansas, and had a contract with Topeka, Kansas, to dispose of dead and lame animals. Hill Rendering Works produced tallow, hides, tankage, meat scraps and farm animal feed including hogs and chicken feed.

By the 1930s,^[3][4][5] the name had changed to Hill Packing Company, which included a milling division, Hill Milling company. At this time the company produced farm animal feed, dog food and horse meat for human consumption, processing 500 head of horse per week.^[6] The meat was shipped to markets in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. Much of the horse meat was sold to the east coast as a product called Chopped and Cured and shipped to Europe as barreled horse loins.^{[citation needed]}

In 1948, Mark L. Morris contacted Hill Packing Company to produce Canine k/d. Hill Packing Company became the license producer of Canine k/d.^[7] In 1968, the food line was made available through veterinarians and pet professionals as Hill's Science Diet. The line continued to expand and includes more than 60 Prescription Diet brand pet foods (prescription foods for cats and dogs with specific diseases, only available through a vet or pet pharmacy) and Science Diet brand pet foods (sold through veterinarians and pet specialty stores). In 1968,^[8] Hill Packing Company was sold to Riviana Foods,^[9] then in 1976 the Colgate-Palmolive Company merged^[10] with Riviana Foods.^[11]

Product brands[edit]

Science Diet[edit]

Science Diet was developed in the 1960s by Mark L. Morris Jr. (1934 2007). Morris was the son of veterinarian Dr. Mark Morris Sr., who pioneered the field of veterinary clinical nutrition when asked to create a specialized diet for the original seeing-eye dog, Buddy, a female German Shepherd with kidney disease. That success led Morris and his son to create additional condition-specific and life-stage pet food formulas under the Prescription Diet and Science Diet brand names.^[12]

Prescription Diet[edit]

Prescription Diet is a line of pet food formulated to help cats and dogs with health issues.

Recalls[edit]

One Prescription Diet line and five products of the Science Diet line were involved in the 2007 pet food recalls for their inclusion of melamine tainted wheat gluten received from China.^{[13][14][15][16]}

On January 31, 2019, Hill's recalled 25 varieties of its canned dog food, because of elevated levels of vitamin D, due to a supplier error. Vitamin D overdose in animals can cause irreversible kidney damage and eventually death.^[17] On February 12, 2019, San Francisco law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Hill's on behalf of affected owners for distributing dog food which contained potentially toxic levels of vitamin D.^[18][19]

References[edit]

1. ^ "Estherville Daily News, 18 September 1962 page 1". Estherville Daily News. 18 September 1962. p.1.
2. ^ "Builders of Topeka 1934".
3. ^ "Builders of Topeka 1934".
4. ^ "Trade horses for sale (classified ad)". Belleville Telescope. September 29, 1932. p.12.
5. ^ "SERVICE AND REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS, Sep 19030".
6. ^ "The Belleville Telescope, 1 September 1932 page 1". The Belleville Telescope. September 1932. p.1.
7. ^ "Hills Pet Nutrition".
8. ^ "The Salina Journal 18 April 1968; To Sell Hill Packing Firm". The Salina Journal. 18 April 1968. p.14.
9. ^ "Riniana Foods Inc. History".
10. ^ "The Des Moines Register, 13 February 1976 page 25".
11. ^ Parker-Pope, Tara, (November 3, 1997). Why Vets Recommend 'Designer' Chow. The Wall Street Journal.
12. ^ "Mark Morris Institute".^{[permanent dead link]}
13. ^ "Melamine Pet Food Recall of 2007".
14. ^ "Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts".
15. ^ "Press Announcements".
16. ^ "Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts".
17. ^ DVM360 staff (7 February 2019). "Pet owners demand answers in Hill's canned dog food recal". UBM Life Sciences. Retrieved 16 February 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
18. ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (4 February 2019). "A dog food company recalled its products, but these grieving pet owners say it's too late". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
19. ^ McKinney, Maureen (15 February 2019). "Pet owners seeking justice as class action lawsuits filed against Hill's". UBM Life Sciences. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

External links[edit]