Big Heart Pet Brands
Big Heart Pet Brands is an American company, which serves as manufacturer, distributor and marketer of branded pet food and other products for the U.S. retail market. They are headquartered at the One Maritime Plaza in the city of San Francisco.
 | |
 One Maritime Plaza, headquarters | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Predecessor | Del Monte Foods |
| Founded | 28 January 2014[1] |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company in 2015, which took over its brands |
| Headquarters | One Maritime Plaza San Francisco, U.S. |
Area served | Americas |
Key people | David J. West (CEO) |
| Products | Pet food, pet snacks |
| Brands | List
|
| Owner | J.M. Smucker Company |
Big Heart Pet Brands was previously the pet food division of Del Monte Foods prior to their 2014 sale to Del Monte Pacific Limited.[3]
They generated approximately $2.0 billion in net sales in fiscal 2013. Their brands included Meow Mix, Kibbles 'n Bits, Milk-Bone, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits, Gravy Train, Nature's Recipe, Canine Carry Outs, Pup-Peroni, and Milo's Kitchen, among others. Big Heart Pet Brands also produces and distributes private label pet products.
On February 3, 2015, it was announced The J.M. Smucker Company would acquire Big Heart Pet Brands for $5.8 billion.[4] J.M. Smucker took over the former Big Heart's brands, marketing under its name.
After pentobarbital—a lethal drug used in pet euthanasia—caused the death of a dog on New Year's Eve of 2016, WJLA of Washington, D.C. partnered with Ellipse Analytics to test for pentobarbital across a wide range of pet food brands. Out of 15 cans of Gravy Train, 60% tested positive for pentobarbital. While the levels detected were not considered lethal, the drug is not legally permitted at any concentration in pet food. After declining an on-camera interview, the FDA stated that it "will investigate the matter and take appropriate enforcement action."[5]
References
- "BigHeartPet.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
- J.M. Smucker acquires Big Heart Pet Brands (Meow Mix, Milk Bones, Kibbles 'n Bits, 9Lives) in a $6 billion deal on Cleveland.com, 24 Mar 2015
- "Big Heart Pet Brands is the New Name for Del Monte Foods' Pet Products Business; Now Largest Standalone Pet Products Company in North America". Business Wire. 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2015-02-04.
- Mackinnon, Jim (2015-02-03). "J.M. Smucker adds major pet food brands in 'transformational' $5.8 billion purchase". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 2015-02-04.
- Fletcher, Lisa (9 February 2018). "FDA to investigate after report exposes euthanasia drug in dog food". WGME-TV. Retrieved 8 December 2019.