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In 1860, James Spratt, an electrician and lightning rod
salesman from Ohio, was the first to manufacture a dried dog biscuit
food. While living in England, Spratt observed street dogs eating ship
hardtack, the non-perishable food made from processed cereals. The idea
for commercial dog food was born.
Spratt called his biscuit the “Patented Meat Fibrine
Dog Cake”. His company began operations in America in the 1870s. Spratt
appears to have been the first commercial producer of cat food, too.
Prior to the advent of Spratt’s Dog Cake, household
pets were generally fed table scraps. Spratt was a relentless advertiser,
convincing Americans to purchase his product by targeting participants and
spectators at dog shows. In the 1950s, General Mills acquired Spratt’s US
business.
In 1907, F.H. Bennett Biscuits Co. introduced bone
shaped ‘Milk-Bone’ dog biscuits. His biscuits were “whole nutrition” made
with meats, cereals, milk, liver oil, and vitamins. They were packaged in
boxes, rather than in bulk, to meet the needs of different breed sizes.
T he
1930’s saw the introduction of a dry dog meat-meal produced by Gaines Food
Company. Clarence Gaines marketed his “100% complete and balanced
nutrition” by exhibiting his own pointer at a well-known dog show.
General Foods purchased Gaines in 1943.
After WWI and the invention of cars, horsemeat became
very cheap. An Illinois horse dealer, P.M. Chappel, started canning
horsemeat under the brand name of Ken-L Ration. Chappel and his brothers
were said to have gone up and down Chicago streets with cans of horsemeat
trying to persuade owners of pet shops to display and use it. Until 1968,
Ken-L Ration was the sponsor of the pet
kennel
at
Disneyland,
known as Ken-L Land. Ken-L ration was purchased by Quaker Oats, and the
brand was sold to the H.J. Heinz Co. in 1995.
During WWII, metal used for canned dog food was set
aside for the war effort. This nearly ruined the canned pet food
industry. Dog food manufacturers later experienced difficulties in
maintaining high-quality products under the conditions of wartime
shortages.
Commercial dog foods in the early 1940’s could not
maintain an Army dog in good working condition. So in November 1942, the
Quartermaster Corps authorized the procurement of both commercial dog food
and additional meat to supplement the diet. During March 1944, the Army
Veterinary Service developed a canned dog food by combining ground
horsemeat and herring.
After WWII, the pet food industry capitalized on the
meat by-products industry as an economical and convenient way to feed
dogs. By then, sales had reached $200 million. The number one benefit of
commercial pet food was convenience, and with the economy booming, people
could now afford the luxury of pet food.
Canned pet food was the primary type of food sold, but
in 1956 the first dry kibble pet foods were being produced via a process
called extrusion, which forms foods into dry kibble.
Success continued throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s as
companies began to diversify flavors and refined the extrusion technology.
The 1980’s saw the introduction of ailment-specific diets such as those
offered by Hill’s Pet Nutrition for kidney or liver failure. In the
1990’s, pet food was diversified and now included diets based on the
activity level and breed of dog.
The current consumer trend in pet foods is toward a
more natural or holistic diet, including both raw and homemade
human-quality foods. Nutritional research continues to modify the diet
recommendations for pets, and will continue to do so well into the future.
The pet food industry has grown to $15 billion in
annual sales. Convenience and price are now falling second to fulfilling
pet health and wellness. This means the outlook for the pet food industry
will continue to be excellent. |
