⚠ Important recall information is listed below.
royal canin was founded by a french veterinarian in 1968. the science-based pet food is formulated for the needs of pets, not the preferences of pet owners.
world headquarters are located in the south of france, and the usa. uu. Products are manufactured at company-owned plants in Missouri, South Dakota, and Canada.
Here we share more information about the history of royal canin pet food, including updated information on recalls.
history of royal canines
Royal Canin’s history dates back to the mid-20th century, when Jean Cathary decided to make her own dog food.
born in rural france in 1927, cathary was a veterinary surgeon practicing in the gard region of france. Early in his career, when small animal veterinarians were virtually unknown, he helped farmers maintain the health of their horses and other livestock.
Cathary noticed that many of her 4-legged clients suffered from bad skin and bad coats. a light bulb went off in her brain. could diet be responsible?
he mixed up some grain-based food in his garage, and voilà, he did the trick of improving the skin and fur of the beasts that ate it. thus was born a new pet food that would eventually dominate the world market.
a diet developed to improve the skin and coat
at that point in history, france was so unfamiliar with food processing that cathary had to buy an extruder from the united states.
the extruder allowed him to mix and package ingredients more effectively, giving him an edge in the European market.
in 1968, cathary closed her veterinary practice to focus her energies on making pet food, which she named royal canin. sales grew rapidly and cathary formally incorporated her business 2 years later in 1970.
at that time, royal canin was already a leader in the production and sale of dry dog food.
European expansion
cathery kept production close to home, building a factory in aimargues, a french community in the same gard region where the company founder had served as a veterinarian.
Forty employees were hired to produce 5,500 tons of food each year, and the food found its way to dog feeders all over Europe.
royal canin grew so quickly that, 4 years after its creation, it established a Spanish subsidiary called royal canin iberica.
in 1972, cathary sold his company to the guyomarc’h group. until then, guyomarc’h had specialized in feed for large animals. For the next 10 years, Guyomarc’h retained the Royal Canin name for its pet food lines, but added subsidiaries in northern France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.
during the 1970s and 1980s, guyomarc’h also devoted significant resources to the research and development of animal diets.
in 1990, paribas bank acquired royal canin, along with all other guyomarc’h holdings. The following years saw a drop in sales, which was reversed when Royal Canin shares were offered on the Paris Stock Exchange. the sale was quite successful, allowing paribas to buy 2 other pet food companies.
mars inc. purchase royal canin
in 2001, mars inc. bought royal canin for around usa uu. $700 million.
in 2008, royal canin, under its mars ancestry, spent $73 million to build a factory in puslinch, ontario. The Canadian base allowed Royal Canin to penetrate the US, Canadian, Mexican, Colombian, Chilean and Japanese markets.
After 2010, the company built another factory in Korea, positioning itself to control an industry market share in Asia. Market research shows that in 2017, Royal Canin, along with its sister company Pedigree (also owned by Mars), dominated the pet food industry in India.
and in the united states? Starting in 2020, Mars Petcare Inc. was the no. 1 pet food company in the world, with more than $18 billion in annual revenue, according to data provided by the pet food industry.
In the next section, we look at the royal canin pet food recall history.
has the royal canin ever been retired?
yes. there have been some notable usa uu. royal canin pet food recalls over the years.
In May 2007 and April 2007, as part of the massive melamine/menu food recall that shocked the country, specific varieties of dry foods were released for royal canin cats and dogs Withdrawn from the market due to possible melamine contamination. (Royal Canin Canada and Royal Canin South Africa also issued recalls during this time.)
“We are deeply sorry for the concern and anxiety this announcement…will cause our loyal customers and the entire pet community,” said Olivier Amice, who was president and CEO of Royal Canin USA at the time of the announcements. 2007 withdrawals.
and in February 2006, royal canin recalled thousands of canned pet foods sold exclusively at veterinary clinics due to excessive amounts of vitamin d3 in the food. several dogs and cats had been reported sick. a vitamin premix from a third-party supplier was to blame, according to the company.
dr. Bryce Fleming, a Canadian veterinarian, told the Vin news service in 2019 that Royal Canin’s handling of the 2006 recall was a textbook example of how a company should respond transparently to a safety crisis.
“we had several [pets] with skyrocketing calcium levels and at least one with elevated kidney values” as a result of the vitamin problems in the pet food, dr. said fleming. “royal canin…detected the problem themselves after noticing a trend in north america. they triggered the publication, recall, and actively searched for the affected animals, provided intellectual and financial support, and ultimately explained the whole situation.”
to other pet food manufacturers facing similar crises, dr. fleming said that “being silent and looking the other way” is never a good strategy.
royal canin recall list
May 2007
cause: melamine. announcement: fda report dated may 11, 2007 (archived here). what was recalled: the following royal canin dry pet foods with date codes between July 28, 2007 and April 30, 2008:
- dry food for adult dogs with chicken and rice sensible choice
- reduced chicken and rice dry dog food with a sensible choice
- dry dog food reduced in lamb and rice with a sensible choice
- sensible choice chicken and rice dry dog food
- dry dog food with chicken and rice for large breeds
- sensible choice natural blend dry food for adult dogs
- sensible choice natural blend senior dry dog food
- sensible choice natural blend dry dog food
- kasco chunks dry dog food
- kasco hi energy dry dog food
- kasco maintenance dry dog food
- kasco mealettes dry dog food
- kasco mini chunks dry dog food
- kasco puppy dry dog food
- kasco cat dry cat food
- royal canin veterinary diet canine early cardiac ec 22 dry dog food
- royal canin veterinary diet canine skin support ss21 dry dog food
- royal canin veterinary diet feline hypoallergenic hp23 dry cat food
- sensible choice chicken meal & rice formula senior dry dog food
- sensible choice lamb meal & rice formula dry dog food
- sensible choice lamb meal & Rice formula dry adult dog food
- sensible choice lamb meal & rice formula senior dry dog food
- sensible choice of rice & catfish meal formula dry dog food for adults
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Urinary Dog Food, 13.6 oz. cans, codes 511a/b and 521 a/b, best for March 2007
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Urinary Dog Food, 13.6 oz. cans, code 525a, best for June 2007
- royal canin veterinary diet canine low fat lf dog food, 13.6 oz. cans, code 526a/b, best for June 2007
- royal canin veterinary diet canine calorie control cc in gel dog food, 12.7 oz. cans, code 515b, best for April 2007
- royal canin veterinary diet canine calorie control cc in gel dog food, 12.7 oz. cans, code 528a, best for July 2007
- royal canin veterinary diet feline sensitivity vr cat food, 5.8 oz. cans, code 518a, best for May 2007
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Calorie Control CC Cat Food, 5.8 oz. cans, code 449a, best for November 2006
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Calorie Control CC Cat Food, 5.8 oz. cans, code 451a, best for December 2006
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Calorie Control CC Cat Food, 5.8 oz. cans, code 515a, best for April 2007
- royal canin veterinary diet feline renal lp cat food, 3 oz. bags, codes 519b and 522b, best for September 2006
- royal canin veterinary diet feline renal lp cat food, 3 oz. bags, code 526a, best for October 2006
- royal canin veterinary diet feline renal lp cat food, 3 oz. bags, codes 541a and 543a, best for February 2007
- see our reporting page for contact information.
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April 2007
cause: melamine. announcement: april 19, 2007 fda report (archived here). remembered: the following royal canin dry pet foods:
February 2006
cause: too much vitamin d3. announcement: fda health hazard assessment of april 10, 2006 and fda enforcement report of may 3, 2006, referencing a royal canin advisory issued on 2 February 2, 2006. 2, 2006. remembered: the following royal canin pet foods:
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