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Where Is Nutro Dog Food Made?

Where Is Nutro Dog Food Made?

Nutro is a popular pet food brand with products available across the world.

The company manufactures tasty, nutritious, and quality canned foods and kibble for dogs in all life stages.

But where does the company make its food?

Read on to find out as well as other FAQs around the topic as well.

Nutro Dog Food Overview

OWNED BYMars Incorporated.
MANUFACTURED BYThe Mars Petcare Division of Mars Inc  
PLACE OF MANUFACTUREDry Food Recipes: Henderson, North Carolina, & Victorville, California

Wet Food Recipes: Columbus, Ohio, North Sioux City, South Dakota, and Fort Smith, Arkansas
MAIN INGREDIENTSPrimary Ingredients: Quality protein meals such as beef, lamb, chicken, and venison  

Others: Quality non-GMO ingredients such as Whole grain brown rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Sorghum, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Oatmeal, Whole Flaxseed, Whole Grain Barley Kales, tomato, Split Peas, Eggs, Chicken Meal, and Dried Plain Beet Pulp.
PRODUCT RANGEWet and Dry Foods  
RECALL HISTORYPast: Nutro Chewy Treats with Real Apple (2015), certain cat and dog food recipes (2009), Nutro Natural Choice, Ultra, and Mac dry and canned dog and cat foods (2007)  

Current: None
AVAILABILITYAmazon, Chewy, Petco, Walmart, PetSmart, & Nutro.com

Where Is Nutro Dog Food Made?

Nutro dog food is manufactured in different US facilities. The dry food recipes are made in Henderson, North Carolina, and in Victorville, California plants while the wet food formulas are manufactured in three separate plants located in Columbus, Ohio, North Sioux City, South Dakota, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The production facilities are company-owned.

Nutro claims to adhere to rigorous safety and quality standards for both its ingredients and the finished product.

The company seeks to procure fresh non-GMO ingredients and thoroughly tests its products to ensure they meet high nutritional standards and are safe for consumption.

Every ingredient used serves a purpose and comes from a trustworthy supplier.

All the ingredients are cooked enough in the facilities to make them safe for canine consumption.

They are then processed minimally to ensure that they retain their nutrient profile as much as possible.

The company can only achieve this if it is close to where the food is being prepared.

The modern facilities are clean and safe and their recipes follow the AAFCO nutrient profile requirements.

In 2012, Mars and Nutro announced that they would be launching a new facility in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee.

The state-of-the-art building called the Regional Innovation Center would be dedicated to creating future innovations in pet care.

It will be home to both Mars Petcare Division and Nutro.

You may also want to check out: Where Is Nutrisource Dog Food Made?

Who owns Nutro Dog Food?

Nutro is an old pet food brand that was established in 1933 by John Herman and Albert Saleen – two fox farmers with a passion for animals.

Sadly, the two friends, after working on a few recipes went separate ways.

 After parting with Steve, John kept expanding the business by making high-protein dog food formulas.

Nutro manufactured different diet formulas such as dry kibble and canned soft foods each with different formulations for specific age groups.

Its Lamb and Rice Adult formula rose through the ranks and in 2006, it was rated number one in the US.

In 2007, Nutro was bought by Mars Incorporated.

Is Nutro Owned By Purina?

No. Nutro is not owned by Purina but rather Mars Incorporated.

The latter is one of America’s big corporations dealing with several industries all at once.

Perhaps the two famous Mars sub-brands include Snickers and Milky Way – known for their delectable chocolate candy products.

However, the company also owns several other brands such as Royal Canin, Skittles, Twix, Mars Bars, M&M’s, and WHISKAS.

Nestle Purina, on the other hand, is a Swiss corporation that deals with pet food and other pet products.

Like Mars. Inc, it owns sub-brands that manufacture and sell pet food but Nutro is not one of them.

Nestle comes second globally after Mars Incorporated as far as revenue is concerned.

Also Read: Where Is Purina Dog Food Made?

Does Nutro Dog Food Source From China?

The only information Nutro has provided regarding its ingredients is that they are sourced from the US and around the world.

The specific countries that supply the ingredients are unknown.

China could very well be one of them… or not.

If you are so determined to find out the answer to this question, you might want to contact Nutro or Mars for definite answers.

When And Why Did Nutro Change Their Formula?

Nutro revamped some of its dog food formulas in 2020 to feature quality non-GMO ingredients such as brown rice, kale, tomato, and egg.

The updated recipes also incorporated quality protein meals such as beef, lamb, chicken, or venison as the primary ingredients.

The former formulas didn’t have most of these ingredients.

The company, in 2021, also changed the packaging of all its products in a project dubbed ‘Nutro Fresh”.

Is Nutro Being Discontinued?

In mid-2020, Nutro announced that it would discontinue one of its brands – the Nutro Max line of foods.

They offered an alternative – the Nutro Wholesome Essentials Adult Farm-Raised Chicken, Brown Rice & Sweet Potato Recipe as it offered chicken as its main ingredient.

Because of the pandemic, the company also discontinued a few of its recipes but these came back.

So, Nutro as a brand is not being discontinued. The company is very much in business.

Does Nutro Have Any Recalls?

Nutro has sadly been recalled a few times in the past.

In 2015, it recalled its Nutro Chewy Treats with Real Apple for mold growth potential.

In 2009, the company also made a voluntary recall for certain cat and dog food recipes because of plastic found in the production line.

Lastly, Nutro was also recalled in 2007 for its Nutro Natural Choice, Ultra, and Mac dry and canned dog and cat foods because of potential melamine consumption.

Does Nutro dog food have taurine?

Yes, it does.

According to the Nutro official website, Taurine is part of the several amino acids used to prepare Nutro’s wide range of dog food diets.

The ingredient helps support a dog’s heart health and vision.

Perhaps not all the formulas contain taurine but many of them certainly do.

 PetMD agrees that taurine is indeed vital for a dog and its deficiency may trigger dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

This is a condition that causes the heart muscles to thin while the chambers enlarge.

Parting Thoughts

By using high-quality protein in its recipes and keeping a good balance of other essential nutrients for a dog, Nutro sits well with many pet owners.

 Its wide range of formulas also puts the brand on top.

Furthermore, the recipes are manufactured in the US and are more affordable than most.

What a perfect combination!

Also Read: Where Is Gentle Giants Dog Food Made?

Last Updated on October 22, 2023 by

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