Purina (the parent brand) scores in the lower-mid tier on Chowmark. Tracing its origins to 1894 as the Ralston Purina Company, Purina is now part of Nestlé Purina PetCare, a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A. The "Purina" master brand encompasses a wide portfolio of sub-brands including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Beneful, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Cesar, and Merrick — each with distinct quality tiers, recall histories, and WSAVA compliance status.
The Purina master brand has recorded two notable incidents in its corporate history: the 2007 melamine contamination crisis (Menu Foods produced Purina-branded wet foods during the China-sourced melamine scandal that affected the entire industry) and the 2023 Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets recall of NF St/Ox formulas due to elevated Vitamin D levels. The corporate-level recall count reflects these events.
WSAVA compliance within the Purina portfolio is brand-specific: Purina Pro Plan meets WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines; Purina ONE, Beneful, and Friskies do not. Evaluating "Purina" as a monolithic brand misses this distinction entirely.
The WSAVA conflict-of-interest note: Purina Institute is one of the funding sources for WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee, alongside Hill's Pet Nutrition and Royal Canin. Chowmark discloses this on its methodology page.
The bottom line: "Purina" as a brand entry is less useful than evaluating the specific sub-brand you are considering. Purina Pro Plan is one of Chowmark's top-tier recommendations. Beneful and Friskies are lower-tier. Use the individual brand pages for a meaningful assessment.