Diamond: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
Diamond is made by Schell & Kampeter, Inc. (privately held, family-owned; Diamond Pet Foods is the trade name), founded 1970 — it scores green on 2 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 3 undisclosed), 7 FDA recalls on record, and 0 of the 7 Diamond foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 7 Diamond food labels checked
The scorecard
WSAVA-aligned criteria
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's nutrition guidelines suggest questions to ask any pet food maker before you buy. Here are this brand's answers, each with its source, or marked undisclosed when we could not confirm one.
2 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 3 undisclosed. Undisclosed is common, especially for smaller brands — it means we couldn't confirm an answer from a public source, not that the answer is unfavorable.
Diamond states it uses an internal team spanning veterinary medicine and companion-animal nutrition disciplines, but does not name a specific individual or state a board certification for any staff member on this or other pages found.
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Facilities are described as Diamond's own in Meta, Missouri (HQ); Gaston, South Carolina; Lathrop, California; Ripon, California; Dumas, Arkansas; Frontenac, Kansas; and Rushville, Indiana. Diamond Pet Foods is well known industry-wide as a company that owns and operates its own plants rather than co-packing.
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No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 7 labels we’ve verified for this brand, and no company-wide claim was found either. Most pet foods are only "formulated to meet" AAFCO profiles (a paper calculation) rather than fed to real animals in trials — this is common, not necessarily a red flag.
covers: ingredient toxin testing; same page: 1,538 microbiological tests/week, test-and-hold of finished product by a certified lab, oxidative stability tests. Diamond Pet Foods page covering its own brands.
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PubMed lists no animal or pet paper with Diamond Pet Foods in an author address. Not proof no research exists — only that none is indexed under that company name.
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These five checks come from WSAVA's guidelines on selecting pet foods — not our own opinion score. WSAVA does not approve or list brands. See how all 50 brands we track answer WSAVA's questions → · Our methodology →
The company
Who makes Diamond
Ownership and history, each sourced independently — private-label and co-packed brands often hide the actual manufacturer behind the name on the bag.
Parent company
Schell & Kampeter, Inc. (privately held, family-owned; Diamond Pet Foods is the trade name)
source
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Headquarters
Meta, Missouri, USA
source
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The cost
What Diamond costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Diamond dry food we have priced works out at $0.67 per 1,000 kcal, against $2.17 for the median dry food we have priced — so it sits about 3.2x below the market. Cost per 1,000 kcal is the only basis that survives different bag sizes and moisture levels; per pound this comparison would mean nothing. On composition the gap is usually smaller than the price gap implies: 28.9% dry-matter protein against a median of 32.2%.
Diamond foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
| Food | Form | Protein (DM) | Cost / 1,000 kcal | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Puppy | dry | 34.4% | $0.62 | Check price |
| Diamond Premium | dry | 28.9% | $0.67 | Check price |
What Diamond actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 7 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
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By-Product Meal (Meat / Poultry By-Product Meal)
In 7 of 7 Diamond foods (100%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 7 of 7 Diamond foods (100%).
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Beet Pulp
In 7 of 7 Diamond foods (100%).
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Probiotics (live microbials)
In 7 of 7 Diamond foods (100%).
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Flaxseed (ALA omega-3)
In 4 of 7 Diamond foods (57%).
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Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal)
In 3 of 7 Diamond foods (43%).
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Fish oil (EPA + DHA omega-3)
In 3 of 7 Diamond foods (43%).
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Glucosamine
In 1 of 7 Diamond foods (14%).
The safety record
FDA recall history
From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-10-19, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. Diamond recall page →
All Taste of the Wild dry pet food with a '2' or '3' in the 9th position of the production code and an 'X' in the 10th or 11th position (best-before Dec 9, 2012 - Apr 7, 2013); part of the nine-brand Gaston, SC plant recall
Potential Salmonella contamination at the Gaston, SC plant; the plant's output was linked to a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infections
All 4health dry pet food (Tractor Supply house brand) with a '2' or '3' in the 9th position of the production code and an 'X' in the 10th or 11th position (best-before Dec 9, 2012 - Apr 7, 2013); part of the nine-brand Gaston, SC plant recall
Potential Salmonella contamination at the Gaston, SC plant; the plant's output was linked to a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infections
Kirkland Signature Super Premium dog and cat foods (Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable; Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable; Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg; Healthy Weight Dog; Maintenance Cat; Healthy Weight Cat) and Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato for Dogs (best-before Dec 9, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013)
Potential Salmonella contamination at the Gaston, SC plant; the plant's output was linked to a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infections
All dry pet food of these four brands with a '2' or '3' in the 9th position of the production code and an 'X' in the 10th or 11th position (best-before Dec 9, 2012 - Apr 7, 2013); the remaining brands of the nine-brand Gaston, SC plant recall
Potential Salmonella contamination at the Gaston, SC plant; the plant's output was linked to a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infections
Dry Dog Food - All Life Stages, Chicken Meal & Rice, Lamb Meal & Rice, Platinum (all sizes; specific production codes, Best Before Dec 9 2012-Jan 31 2013)
Potential Salmonella contamination at co-packer Diamond Pet Foods' Gaston, South Carolina plant; precautionary, no Canidae product tested positive and no illnesses were reported
All varieties and sizes of Diamond and Diamond Naturals dry dog and cat food produced at the Gaston, SC plant
Salmonella contamination linked to at least 14 human illnesses across 9 states
Multiple Diamond-brand dry dog and cat food formulas containing a contaminated corn ingredient
Aflatoxin contamination; FDA investigation found inadequate aflatoxin testing across 12 shipments of corn, with more than 100 dog deaths reported
The FDA's online recall list is complete for recent years but leaves out many notices from before about 2023. We add older FDA recall notices by hand when we find them.
The labels
What we've verified from Diamond's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
7
6 dog · 1 cat
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 7 (0%)
Formulated to meet
7
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
70%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Diamond we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.