Pet Food Brand
Iams
Founded by Paul Iams in 1946, acquired by P&G in 1999, sold to Mars in 2014. Positioned as mid-market veterinarian-adjacent nutrition, though no longer vet-channel exclusive. ProActive Health is the flagship consumer line.
At a glance
- Parent company
- Mars Petcare (acquired 2014 from Procter & Gamble)
- Founded
- 1946
- Headquarters
- Franklin, Tennessee, USA
- Made in
- USA
- AAFCO method
- AAFCO feeding trials conducted
- Typical price tier
- Mid-range
- Pet types
- Dogs, Cats
Product lines
Recall history
2013-08-14
Class IIams and Eukanuba dry dog food — Salmonella
Typical ingredients
Common across the brand's formulations — specific SKUs vary. Always scan the actual label.
Common questions about Iams
Who owns Iams?
Mars Petcare, since 2014. Iams was founded by Paul Iams in 1946, acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1999, and sold to Mars in May 2014 for $2.9 billion. It now operates alongside Royal Canin, Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, and Eukanuba under the Mars Petcare umbrella. The ownership history is relevant disclosure — Iams is no longer an independent brand despite its distinctive heritage branding.
Has Iams been recalled?
Most notably August 2013 — Procter & Gamble (the owner at the time) voluntarily recalled specific lots of Iams and Eukanuba dry dog foods after in-plant testing detected salmonella at the Lewisburg, Ohio facility. Recall included ProActive Health Smart Puppy and multiple other dry lines. The manufacturing plant subsequently changed hands with the Mars acquisition. Full FDA URL on the brand page.
Is Iams good quality?
Mid-tier — positioned between mass-market and premium. Uses named proteins (chicken, lamb, salmon) as primary ingredients but includes corn, brewers' rice, and chicken by-product meal in most formulas. AAFCO feeding trials are conducted on many Iams formulas, which is a quality indicator many mid-tier brands lack. For food-allergic dogs, Iams Veterinary Formulas (by vet authorisation) are more appropriate than retail Iams.
Scan a specific Iams product
Brand-level typicals don't cover every SKU. Upload a photo of the actual food label and the scanner checks the ingredient list against your pet's allergen profile in a minute.
Scan a label →Factual brand reference sourced from FDA enforcement reports, AAFCO publications, and manufacturer disclosures. Not an endorsement or a ranking.