Nutritionist
On staff
Manufacturer record
The J.M. Smucker Co. (Pet division, post-2023)
6 plants
Quality control
Claimed (unverified)
Publishes research
No
Transparency
Partial
Owns its plants
Yes
Credibility score
11 / 20
Credibility scored on the 20-point WSAVA tier, Medium confidence. An unverified field scores at half credit, never zero. How this feeds the grade →
Brands they own
Milk-Bone · Meow Mix · Pup-Peroni · Milo's Kitchen · Canine Carry Outs · Snausages
Recall history
| Date | Class | What | Brands named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12 | unknown | DISTRIBUTOR-LEVEL recall, NOT a Smucker manufacturing defect. Third-party distributor Gold Star Distribution, Inc. recalled all FDA-regulated products held at its Minneapolis facility due to insanitary storage conditions | Meow Mix |
| 2021-04 | unknown | Potential Salmonella contamination. Firm-initiated voluntary, precautionary recall | Meow Mix |
| 2011 | withdrawal | Voluntary product pull of 2 sizes of Milk-Bone biscuits | Milk-Bone |
Recall events in the last 10 years weigh most; older events decay. Repeat events in the 10-year window: 1.
The detail
Company states on its own site that 'dedicated animal nutritionists work with food scientists' and that it has 'licensed veterinarians on staff' overseeing safety/quality. The Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA) manufacturer evaluation (2023) recorded J.M. Smucker as employing a full-time nutritionist with a PhD in animal nutrition and as a survey participant (transparency signal), owning ~50% of its plants. CAVEAT: the PNA record predates and covers the pre-April-2023 combined pet division (it lists now-divested brands like Kibbles 'n Bits/9Lives); the R&D/nutrition function is corporate and stays with Smucker, so 'staff nutritionist / credentialed formulation' is a reasonable but not independently re-verified inference for the retained treats+cat business. substantiation_policy set to 'formulation-only': the retained portfolio is ~4 treat/snack brands (Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Milo's Kitchen, Canine Carry Outs/Snausages) for which AAFCO nutritional-adequacy substantiation does not apply, plus Meow Mix (value-tier complete cat food) which is a formulated-to-profile value product; no evidence of AAFCO feeding-trial substantiation was found. QC is 'claimed' (company self-asserts rigorous safety/quality standards and licensed-vet oversight; owns its plants) but no independent third-party QC certification/documentation was located. publishes_research 'no': no peer-reviewed nutritional research program identified for these brands. transparency 'partial': answers general WSAVA-type manufacturer questions (PNA participation + public nutritionist/QC statements + a public recall-status page) but does not publish detailed nutrient analyses or research.
Sources
- https://www.jmsmucker.com/brands-you-love/pet-foods-snacks
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-jm-smucker-co-completes-the-divestiture-of-several-pet-food-brands-to-post-holdings-inc-301810920.html
- https://investors.jmsmucker.com/news/news-details/2023/The-J.M.-Smucker-Co.-Completes-the-Divestiture-of-Several-Pet-Food-Brands-to-Post-Holdings-Inc.-04-28-2023/default.aspx
- https://www.postconsumerbrands.com/news/post-holdings-completes-pet-food-brands-acquisition/
- https://shop.smucker.com/products/canine-carry-outs-snausages-snawsomes-beef-and-cheese-flavor-dog-treats-9-oz
- https://www.foodprocessing.com/business-of-food-beverage/plant-expansion/news/55276974/smucker-to-invest-526-million-to-upgrade-buffalo-new-york-milk-bone-facility
- https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-construction-underway-53-million-milk-bone-plant-renovation
- https://www.petfoodindustry.com/news-newsletters/pet-food-news/news/15741250/jm-smucker-to-invest-52m-to-upgrade-milkbones-production-facility
- https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/pet-food-manufacturer-evaluation-report/
- https://petnutritionalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Pet-Nutrition-Alliance-Pet-Food-Manufacturer-Report-2023.pdf
- https://www.petworks.com/articles/pet-nutrition-alliance/
- https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/j-m-smucker-co-issues-limited-voluntary-recall-two-lots-meow-mixr-original-choice-dry-cat-food
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/04/meow-mix-original-choice-dry-cat-food-recalled-for-potential-salmonella-contamination/
- https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/gold-star-distribution-inc-issues-recall-certain-fda-regulated-products-three-states-including-drugs
- https://www.petfoodindustry.com/safety-quality/pet-food-recalls/news/15774886/gold-star-distribution-recalls-pet-food-products-in-three-states
- https://www.milkbone.com/no-recall
- https://truthaboutpetfood.com/milk-bone-dog-biscuit-product-pull/
- https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alerts-pet-owners-about-potential-pentobarbital-contamination-canned-dog-food-manufactured-jm
AI-assisted research, pending human review · 2026-07-05