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Is Hill's Science Diet good? Owner, recalls and label facts
Hill's Science Diet is made by Colgate-Palmolive Company, has 3 FDA recalls on record (latest May 21, 2019), and 167 of the 212 Hill's Science Diet food labels we checked say the food passed AAFCO feeding tests. Its median wet food costs $16.54 per 1,000 calories, about the same as the median wet food we priced.
Keep Hill's Science Diet, or switch?
Keep it if your pet does well on it: no current FDA recall says to stop.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Chicken & Barley Recipe: check price →$51.99 for 15 lb on Amazon
We found no close label match from another maker that passed our checks, so we don't suggest a switch.
Amazon prices as of 2026-10-19. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
- Who makes it
- Colgate-Palmolive Company source
- FDA recalls
- 3 on record, latest May 21, 2019 details
- AAFCO feeding tests
- 167 of 212 labels we checked
- Cost
- $16.54 per 1,000 calories (median wet)
- WSAVA questions
- sourced "yes" on 5 of 5 see each
Hill's Science Diet questions, answered
Who makes Hill's Science Diet?
Colgate-Palmolive Company. Headquarters: Overland Park, Kansas. Founded 1968.
Has Hill's Science Diet been recalled?
Yes, 3 times on record. The latest was May 21, 2019: Potentially Elevated Levels of Vitamin D. We found no newer FDA recall as of October 19, 2026.
Does Hill's Science Diet do AAFCO feeding trials?
167 of the 212 Hill's Science Diet labels we checked say "animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures". The rest say "formulated to meet" AAFCO nutrient levels, which is a recipe calculation, not a feeding test.
Does Hill's Science Diet meet WSAVA guidelines?
WSAVA does not approve brands. It lists questions to ask a maker. Hill's Science Diet has a sourced "yes" on 5 of the 5 we check: qualified nutritionist on staff; owns its manufacturing; runs AAFCO feeding trials; publishes its quality-control testing; publishes peer-reviewed research.
Does Hill's Science Diet have a vet nutritionist on staff?
Yes — sourced. Hill's explicitly employs four ACVN Diplomates (board-certified veterinary nutritionists) plus PhD nutritionists per same page ('Our staff of PhD nutritionists, food scientists, flavorists and veterinarians').
How much does Hill's Science Diet cost?
Its median wet food costs $16.54 per 1,000 calories, about the same as the median wet food we priced. The cheapest per calorie we found is Hill's Science Diet Puppy Chicken & Barley Entrée Dog Food at $7.78 per 1,000 calories.
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.
5 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 0 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.
Hill's explicitly employs four ACVN Diplomates (board-certified veterinary nutritionists) plus PhD nutritionists per same page ('Our staff of PhD nutritionists, food scientists, flavorists and veterinarians').
source & quote
view source →
Same source: 'Hill's is currently building a new canned pet food manufacturing facility in Kansas... and in May completed the acquisition of a canned pet food plant in Italy from Nutriamo.' Indicates Hill's owns and operates its own manufacturing plants.
source & quote
view source →
167 of 212 labels we checked carry an AAFCO feeding-trial substantiation statement.
source
covers: finished-product nutrient analysis (page also says each ingredient is examined and final safety checks run daily on every product; no Salmonella/batch detail on this page). Hill's company-wide page. NOTE: hillspet.com returns HTTP 403 to plain scripted requests; quote confirmed in-session via WebFetch only.
source & quote
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179 PubMed papers (animal/pet filtered) list Hill's Pet Nutrition in an author address; we checked 179 and 178 really name the company. A floor, not a total.
source
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 Hill's Science Diet
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
Colgate-Palmolive Company
source
view source →
Founded
1968
source
view source →
Headquarters
Overland Park, Kansas
source
view source →
The cost
What Hill's Science Diet costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Hill's Science Diet wet food we have priced works out at $16.54 per 1,000 kcal, against $17.85 for the median wet food we have priced — so it sits roughly level with 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: 23.5% dry-matter protein against a median of 46.7%.
Hill's Science Diet foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
What Hill's Science Diet actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 212 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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Taurine (supplemental)
In 197 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (93%).
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Flaxseed (ALA omega-3)
In 132 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (62%).
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Beet Pulp
In 131 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (62%).
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Fish oil (EPA + DHA omega-3)
In 105 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (50%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 102 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (48%).
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Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal)
In 93 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (44%).
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Guar Gum
In 84 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (40%).
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Powdered Cellulose
In 80 of 212 Hill's Science Diet foods (38%).
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. Hill's Science Diet recall page →
Expanded recall of canned dog food, many Science Diet varieties plus Prescription Diet
Elevated levels of vitamin D
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 Hill's Science Diet's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
212
115 dog · 97 cat
Feeding-trial validated
167
of 212 (79%)
Formulated to meet
45
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
24%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Hill's Science Diet we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.