Is Hill s Science Diet owned by Purina

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Who Owns Your Brand...and Why You Should Care

Who Owns Your Brand of Pet Food? .And Why You Should Care

Pet food is big business. In fact, 95% of the brands that you see in the pet food aisles are owned by just 6 companies. And these 6 companies account for almost 90% of consumer spending on pet food. We believe that its important to know the companies that are behind the various brands of pet food. Following are the six largest pet food companies.

1. Mars Petcare, part of the Mars Candy company, leads the way. Mars owns 41 brands which include: Evo, Cesar, Eukanuba, IAMS, Nutro, Pedigree and Royal Canin. They recently bought out Orijen and Acana. Mars also owns the largest chain of veterinary clinics and hospitals.

2. Nestl Purina is a close second. They own 30 brands which include: Merrick, Alpo, Beneful, Beyond, Castor & Pollux, Chef Michaels (who is a fictional person), Fancy Feast, Friskies, Purina and Zukes.

3. J.M Smuckers, the jam company, is relatively new to pet food having recently acquired several companies. They own 14 brands which include: 9 Lives, Gravy Train, Kibble n Bits, Meow Mix, Milk-Bone, Milos Kitchen, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. They sold off Natural Balance in 2020 to a capital management company.

4. Hills Science Diet is owned by Colgate-Palmolive. They have four brands: Science Diet, Prescription Diet, Ideal Balance, and Healthy Advantage.

5. Diamond Pet Foods is high on the list because they are a co-packer and manufacture food for a wide variety of other companies. Brands owned by Diamond include Diamond Naturals, Nutra-Gold, and Taste of the Wild.

6. Blue Buffalo is owned by General Mills. There are many different formulas and specialty diets that all fall under the Blue Buffalo umbrella.

Many companies co-pack their foods. This means that a different manufacturer produces, bags, labels and ships the food. So the company that actually puts together the final product is a business you have never heard of. This explains why a recall often affects numerous brands.

Given the enormous array of choices in pet food today how do you decide what to feed your dog or cat? After all, what you put in your pets body is the single most important factor affecting their health. Of course, you want a food that is safe, nutritious, and will promote good health. It should be easy for the consumer to look at the label and find out all the information they need to know. But its not.

The pictures and wording on the front of a bag of food tells you absolutely nothing about the ingredients or the quality of the food inside the bag. The label will not tell you where the ingredients came from. There is an enormous difference between wild-caught Salmon using environmentally sustainable fishing practices and dead, decomposing farm-raised salmon. The FDA allows many questionable and unsafe ingredients to be included in pet food. They even state that, "We do not believe that the use of diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern."

The key is trust. Do you trust the people behind the company? There are many smaller, independently owned pet food companies. Smaller is sometimes better, although thats not to say that a larger company cant be good. However, smaller brands often have more control over their food supply sources along with a deep commitment to high-quality nutrition, humane sourcing, and environmentally conscious practices.

Your dog or cat is completely dependent on YOU to ensure that the food they eat isnt doing more harm than good. Dont depend on pet food companies or government regulators to have your dogs or cats best interests at heart. The more you know about where your dogs food is coming from and how it gets to his bowl, the better.

Purina Dog Chow vs. Hill's Science Diet

In this comparison article for Purina Dog Chow vs Hill's Science Diet, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Hill's Science Diet vs Purina Dog Chow comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Purina Dog Chow Review Page or Hill's Science Diet Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Hill's Science Diet vs. Purina Dog Chow

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Purina Dog Chow Dog Food vs. Hill's Science Diet Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Purina Dog Chow	Hill's Science Diet
Crude Protein	26.2%	24.6%
Crude Fat	12.3%	14.7%
Crude Fiber	4.9%	3.7%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Purina Dog Chow	Hill's Science Diet
Crude Protein	49.5%	25.7%
Crude Fat	14.5%	17.3%
Crude Fiber	6.8%	3.5%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

As you can see, Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet dog foods, Purina Dog Chow provides significantly more protein (about 23.77% more).

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Hill's Science Diet typically guarantees 2.34% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Hill's Science Diet wet dog foods also provide more fat than Purina Dog Chow wet foods.

Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Purina Dog Chow typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.22% more).

Purina Dog Chow Pet Food Ingredients vs. Hill's Science Diet Pet Food Ingredients

Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Liver

Liver is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

Wheat Gluten

Wheat gluten is the main protein of wheat. Although wheat gluten is mostly protein, wheat gluten is considered controversial because it significantly boosts the protein content of the product. This is undesirable because plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.

Whole Grain Corn

Whole grain corn is the entire corn kernel (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by pets to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.

Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in pet food should certainly warrant further questioning.

Whole Grain Wheat

Whole grain wheat contains the entire grain of wheat (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Wheat is the second most-produced cereal grain in the world (corn is the first). Although wheat is a controversial ingredient, it is not necessarily undesirable because it provides dietary fiber and many other nutrients. However, wheat contains a notable amount of plant based protein, which is inferior to meat based protein and therefore an undesirable substitution.

Wheat is also one of the most common ingredients to cause food allergies or intolerance. However, grains such as wheat are typically low offenders in comparison to certain protein sources (such as beef).

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Dog Chow.

Soybean Flour

Soybean flour contains more than 50% protein. Therefore, soybean can significantly boost the protein content of the product. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.

Meat By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.

Ground Yellow Corn

Ground yellow corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

Meat And Bone Meal

Meat and bone meal is produced by cooking meat and bone using a process called rendering. The rendering process dramatically reduces the natural moisture of meat and thereby results in a highly condensed protein source.

This ingredient is marked controversial because the source animal for the meat is not specified. These type of anonymous ingredient are typically very low quality and certainly inexpensive additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the meat source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.

Turkey By-Product Meal

Turkey by-product meal is produced by cooking turkey by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, turkey by-products contain nearly all parts of turkeys which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, turkey by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as turkey by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets.

Chicken By-Product Meal

Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets.

Poultry By-Product Meal

Poultry by-product meal is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous ingredients such as poultry by-product meal are typically low-quality ingredients in comparison to named protein by-product meals (e.g. chicken by-product meal, turkey by-product meal, duck by-product meal).

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Hill's Science Diet.

Caramel

Caramel is a widely used natural food colorant. The concentrated form of caramel is typically listed as caramel color and has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

Corn Flour

Corn flour a ground cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

Iron Oxide

Iron oxide is an FDA approved natural food coloring agent. It's commonly found in rusting metal and provides a reddish-brown color.

We believe food colorants are unnecessary ingredients in pet food. Other than potential harm, food colorants do not provide any nutritional value. These type of ingredients are used only to make the food look appealing to humans.

Pea Protein

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

Pork Plasma

Pork plasma is the colorless fluid part of a pig's blood. It may sound disgusting, but it's actually very nutritious for pets. Regardless of the nutritional aspects, consumers are shocked by this ingredient, which is why pork plasma is considered a controversial ingredient.

Poultry Fat

Poultry fat is a by-product of poultry tissue rendering. Poultry fat is a controversial ingredient because the specific protein is not specified. Such ingredients are typically low-quality in comparison to named poultry fats (e.g. chicken fat, turkey fat).

Animal Liver

Animal liver is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

Brewers Rice

Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.

Caramel Color

Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

Tomato Pomace

Tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.

Beef By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, beef by-products contain nearly all parts of the beef which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, beef by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as beef by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets.

Pork By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, pork by-products contain nearly all parts of pork which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, pork by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as pork by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets.

Powdered Cellulose

Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.

Dried Tomato Pomace

Dried tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.

Pea Protein Concentrate

Pea protein concentrate is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein concentrate is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

Soybean Protein Isolate

Soy protein isolate is a highly refined/purified form of soy bean protein. Roughly 90% of soy protein isolate is protein. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Dog Chow.

Blue 2

Blue 2 is an artificial dye which can increase the likelihood of tumors according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Like other dyes, blue 2 does not provide any nutritional value.

Red 40

Red 40 is the most widely used artificial dye in consumer goods. Studies have shown that red 40 may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, cause allergy-like reactions and trigger hyperactivity in children.

Yellow 5

Yellow 5 is an artificial dye which may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. Like other dyes, yellow 5 does not provide any nutritional value.

Yellow 6

Yellow 6 is an artificial food dye which may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. According to the Center For Science In The Public Interest, yellow 6 can cause adrenal tumors in animals.

Added Color

The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.

Product Safety: Recall History of Purina Dog Chow & Hill's Science Diet?

According to our records, Purina Dog Chow has never been recalled.

Hill's Science Diet has been recalled 2 times.

Jan. 31, 2019: elevated levels of Vitamin D
March 20, 2019: elevated levels of Vitamin D

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Purina Dog Chow	Hill's Science Diet
Per Pound	$1.22	$2.83
Per Calorie	$0.0008	$0.0018

Wet Dog Food	Purina Dog Chow	Hill's Science Diet
Per Pound	$2.14	$5.03
Per Calorie	$0.0042	$0.0125

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Purina Dog Chow or Hill's Science Diet, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Purina Dog Chow or Hill's Science Diet will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Purina Dog Chow Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Dog Chow pet foods from the following stores:

4 Recipes In-Stock Today

1 Recipes In-Stock Today

4 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Hill's Science Diet Pet Foods

You can purchase Hill's Science Diet pet food products from these retailers:

125 Recipes In-Stock Today

123 Recipes In-Stock Today

101 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Purina Dog Chow	Hill's Science Diet
Dry Dog Food	5 Recipes	48 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	9 Recipes	34 Recipes
Dog Treats	None	18 Treats
Dry Cat Food	None	25 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	None	48 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	None