NutriSource dog food

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Karen, I have a friend who has a mini Doodle as I do. She asked me about food and of course I told her about this website and info. However, she already feeds Nutrisource which is available in the same store where I purchase my Zignature. Everything in that store is researched for sourcing and the brands they sell are all on the list. Except Nutrisource. I'm wondering if there is a reason Im not aware of as to why it is not on the list? I feed Zignature and have no plans of switching but my friend asked me about it so I thought I would bring the question to you. It is made in the US but of course I realize there is more to it than that. Thanks for any insight!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nutrisource is owned and made by a company called Tuffy's Pet Foods, which is a division of a larger corporation called KLN Family Brands. The brands made by the Tuffy's Pet Food division are Nutrisource, Pure Vita, Natural Planet, Tuffy's, Tuffy's Gold and Supreme, which seems to be a supplement line. 
Nutrisource and Pure Vita are decent foods, and they are carried at the small boutique pet supply stores wher I buy Jasper's food, the ones that don't sell anything made in China. Natural Planet claims to be organic, and while the ingredients look okay, the nutritional profile is not so great. However, if the company stopped with these three lines, I'd consider putting them on our list after verifying their sourcing.
The problem is that Tuffy's and Tuffy's Gold are the worst kinds of cheap crap food with the worst kinds of ingredients. And the company basically admits it. On KLN's website, they have a little "Know your sources! Click here to go to our premium websites!" and when you click it, it takes you to a page where only Nutrisource, Pure Vita, and Natural Planet are featured.
No mention of the other crap they make for the people who buy their pet food at Walmart. 
One "rule" of this group is that I will not list a brand or company that makes any formulas that contain by-products, corn, floor sweepings, artificial colorings and preservatives, unnamed meals, oils, etc., and especially the synthetic form of vitamin K called menadione bisulfite, which is banned from use in human foods and has been linked to Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in both humans and dogs. Only the worst pet foods are still using that crap, and it's in Tuffy's.
My feeling is that if a company is putting this kind of stuff in some of their products, how can I really trust what they put in any of their products? Either your products are high quality & wholesome, or they're not. 
This may be wrong of me. I'm open to discussing it, lol. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Thank you for your response! I fully agree with your policy. If they are doing one thing wrong, why would I trust that everything else is OK??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There also was an issue years ago with very aggressive marketing and the company paying store clerks an incentive to push Nutrisource, even to the point of trying to talk customers into switching from another brand sold in that same store to Nutrisource. But I don't know if that's still the case and it's not the reason I don't recommend it. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

There is no good reason to do that.Thats just underhanded and dirty. And again, if I cant trust everything they do, they don't get a 2nd chance. It always amazes me when there is a recall and people will be happy because their particular can or bag is not part of the recall. Either the whole brand is good or not.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree, and it's good to have confirmation that my thinking about this makes sense, lol. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I live about 65 miles from the Tuffy's/KLN plant, so Nutrisource is found in nearly all of the "boutique" stores around here. 20-30 years ago company used to be fairly well known as making "crap" food. Tuffy's- ugh! Full of byproducts and other junk. Their reputation started to improve when they came out with Nutrisource and some of their other lines. I can't get past the idea that it's still a "Tuffy's brand," though, so have never fed it. Even though it's pretty popular around here....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's the feeling I always get when I see it...Tuffy's brand. LOL