Natura (Innova, Evo, etc.) Being Bought by P & G

[judymaggie]

Folks: In case you haven't seen this yet, the following was announced yesterday. I find it very disturbing because of Iams/Eukanuba's history of cruelty to cats and dogs with regard to their research studies:


Procter & Gamble Co. is expanding its pet food business with the acquisition of Natura Pet Products Inc., the company announced Wednesday.

The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. Natura, a privately owned firm based in Davis, Calif., manufactures holistic and all-natural pet food brands, including Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma, according to a news release. The company employs about 140, and has manufacturing plants in San Leandro, Calif., and Fremont, Neb.

P&G got into the pet food business in 1999 when it acquired Dayton-based Iams, a maker of upscale pet foods.

“These outstanding brands and the great employees of Natura Pet Products will complement our Eukanuba and Iams brands very well,” said Dan Rajczak, senior vice president of global pet care and snacks for P&G, in the release. “This acquisition gives us a strong position in the holistic and natural pet food segment.”

The purchase is expected to close in June, P&G said.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), headquartered in Cincinnati, develops, manufactures and markets consumer products and pharmaceuticals.

P&G got into the pet food business in 1999 when it acquired Dayton-based Iams, a maker of upscale pet foods.

“These outstanding brands and the great employees of Natura Pet Products will complement our Eukanuba and Iams brands very well,” said Dan Rajczak, senior vice president of global pet care and snacks for P&G, in the release. “This acquisition gives us a strong position in the holistic and natural pet food segment.”

The purchase is expected to close in June, P&G said.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), headquartered in Cincinnati, develops, manufactures and markets consumer products and pharmaceuticals.

[labblab]

Oh, I am very disappointed to read this news. I've been feeding Innova to Luna since she was a baby, and the reason why I selected it was due to Natura's wonderful reputation and the fact that it was a self-contained, privately owned organization that was comitted to quality ingredients and product control.

Maybe P & G will leave Natura alone. But usually when mergers take place, it seems that ingredients end up being altered and policies end up being changed. :( :(

I think I'll start looking for an alternative, just in case...:o

Marianne

[mypuppy]

I actually was considering switching Princess to this brand dog food not too long ago because I heard how wonderful it is, but glad I didn't. I've never had a problem with the one I was giving Princess, in fact, I love it, but you know how it goes, if you hear there's something better out there for our babies, then why not. Marianne, I use Merrick. Not sure if you'd want to research it, but Princess has never had any problems on it. Good luck. xo Jeanette

[Franklin'sMum]

Well, There goes the idea of changing Franklin's diet to Evo/innova. :mad:
Thanks for letting us know.
________
Jeep grand cherokee (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Jeep_Grand_Cherokee)

[judymaggie]

Hi, all! This past Saturday I took Abbie to visit with the Natura distributors, Bob & Connie, who have become friends of mine through Maggie. I had the opportunity to ask about the P & G purchase. Here is what Bob said:

The owner of Natura has become quite ill in the last year and, although he had said that he would never be bought out by a mega company, he is no longer able to be actively involved with Natura. Bob doesn't know what the purchase price is but anticipates it is in the billions range and believes the Natura owner just didn't have the energy to say "no". Bob advised that the agreement states that Natura products will continue to be made in the same two Natura production plants that they are now made in for at least a year. Bob said we will all have to wait and see what happens after that.

I know Bob will be honest with me about the products -- he raises and shows weimaraners and would never jeopardize their health in any way. He is aware of the past negative history of P & G and does not approve in any way. So, for the time being we are okay -- as I hear more, I will be sure to update.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hey ya'll,

Just a note to remind ya'll that pet food manufacturers are not required to give any notice of formula, ingredient, etc. changes in the feed to the public. If the ingredients change the only way to be aware of that is to compare the old label to the new one if the company does not make that change public. Changes in formulations, suppliers, etc. cannot be determined from the packaging but the location of processing/manufacturing can be. If the formulations changes very much, the nutrient profile will probably reflect that but again comparison between new and old is about the only way to know.

The best way to tell is to observe your babies if they are on any of these feeds. If they have digestive, allergic reactions then there may have been a change in the feed that caused it.

Hope all remains the same as these are some of the best feeds on the market today and it breaks my heart to think of this huge company ruining not only the feed but risking the health and well-being of so many animals. :(

Hugs,
Leslie

[sunimist]

I almost put Suni on Innova when I took her off puppy food. So glad now I didn't. I feed her Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato and she does great with it. Also give her NOW turkey,salmon and duck small breed formula for snacks. She likes it too.
Any cons about these foods that you know of? It's a big job searching for a high quality food as you all know. Took me forever to decide.

Sorry guys. Haven't been around much lately to help out, but will try to do better. Things have been a bit hairy in my neighborhood and we are trying to get a grip on it. I do try and check in as often as I can.

[bkdice]

Thanks for the info.
I had our kitties on Evo and they looked so good, though one has an allergy we are trying to pinpoint, so we changed to an allergy food. I have to say, they do not look as good as they did on the Evo, so was going to look at going back to it. Now what?! :mad:

It was also my top choice for mixing in with home cooked when I'm ready to bring another pup into the picture. Hopefully by then there will be another front runner.

My vet had warned me about how 'loose' labeling is on pet food. I swear Niko did so well for so long because I home cooked 75% of his food for all his 'mature' years. At least I know what went in that.

Bettina