Other Cat Food Brands

NutriSource Logo

NutriSource Cat Food Ingredients

According to our research, NutriSource manufactures 18 cat food recipes using 129 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by NutriSource, we've studied all 129 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on NutriSource ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes18
Unique Ingredients129
Artificial Colors0
Animal By-Products0
Anonymous Meats0
Controversial2
Harmful1

First 5 Ingredients

Cat food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.

For NutriSource, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.

  1. chicken
  2. chicken broth
  3. pea
  4. natural flavor
  5. calcium carbonate

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in NutriSource is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken broth, followed by pea, natural flavor, and calcium carbonate.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

NutriSource does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 18 NutriSource cat foods contain artificial food dyes.

Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general, we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.

In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most cats consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming to say the least.

To read more about Artificial Food Dyes, click here.

Animal By-Products

According to our records, NutriSource does not contain any animal by-products.

Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.

Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including NutriSource have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).

For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.

Anonymous Meat Ingredients

Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive cat foods.

In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient. For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.

In our analysis, we've looked through all 129 NutriSource ingredients. According to our data, NutriSource does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Cereal Grains

Certain NutriSource cat food recipes contain one or more grains. The specific ingredients are listed below.

For cats, we typically recommend choosing a grain-free recipe. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore grains are not species appropriate.

The kibble production requires a binding agent. Grains are commonly used for this purpose in cat food. When purchasing grain-free cat food, grains are often replaced with another starchy source. This is also not ideal.

To avoid grains and other starchy additions, consider feeding wet or frozen recipes.

barley
1 Recipes

Barley is a nutritious carbohydrate source, naturally rich in dietary fiber and various minerals. Unlike pearled barley, regular barley contains the entire grain.

The following recipes contain barley:

brown rice flour
3 Recipes

Brown rice flour is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice flour is easy to digest.

The following recipes contain brown rice flour:

brown rice
2 Recipes

Brown rice is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice is easy to digest.

The following recipes contain brown rice:

oatmeal
3 Recipes

Oatmeal is simply coarsely ground oats and therefore contains the entire oat grain. As with regular oats, oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, and various minerals.

The following recipes contain oatmeal:

Controversial Ingredients

In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.

Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce cat foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.

In our analysis, we've identified 2 controversial ingredients inside NutriSource products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

dried tomato pomace
6 Recipes

Dried tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.

The following recipes contain dried tomato pomace:

pea protein
2 Recipes

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

The following recipes contain pea protein:

Potentially Harmful Ingredients

Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.

There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting NutriSource for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain NutriSource recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.

menadione sodium bisulfite complex
6 Recipes

Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

The following recipes contain menadione sodium bisulfite complex:

NutriSource Cat Food Ingredient Lists

NutriSource

Dry Cat Food
Cat & Kitten - Chicken Meal, Salmon & Liver Recipe
NutriSource
Dry Cat Food Cat & Kitten - Chicken Meal, Salmon & Liver Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken meal
brown rice
pea
salmon
chicken liver

NutriSource

Dry Cat Food
Cat & Kitten - Chicken & Rice Recipe
NutriSource
Dry Cat Food Cat & Kitten - Chicken & Rice Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
brown rice
pea
chicken fat

NutriSource

Dry Cat Food
Senior / Weight Management - Chicken Meal & Peas Recipe
NutriSource
Dry Cat Food Senior / Weight Management - Chicken Meal & Peas Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken meal
pea
pea fiber
barley
oatmeal

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Duck & Red Lentils Entree
NutriSource
Pure Vita Duck & Red Lentils Entree
First Five Ingredients
duck
duck meal
red lentil
garbanzo bean
green lentil

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Country Select Recipe
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Country Select Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken
duck meal
chicken meal
pea
turkey meal

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Ocean Select Recipe - Trout, Whitefish Meal & Salmon Meal
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Ocean Select Recipe - Trout, Whitefish Meal & Salmon Meal
First Five Ingredients
trout
whitefish meal
pea
salmon meal
chickpea

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Salmon & Peas Entree
NutriSource
Pure Vita Salmon & Peas Entree
First Five Ingredients
salmon
salmon meal
pea
sunflower meal
pea flour

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Chicken & Peas Entree
NutriSource
Pure Vita Chicken & Peas Entree
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
pea
pea flour
chicken fat

NutriSource

Wet Cat Food
Chicken & Rice Formula For Cats
NutriSource
Wet Cat Food Chicken & Rice Formula For Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken broth
brown rice flour
dried egg product
natural flavor

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Country Select
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Country Select
First Five Ingredients
duck
duck broth
turkey
turkey liver
chickpea

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Lamb & Lamb Liver Select
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Lamb & Lamb Liver Select
First Five Ingredients
lamb
lamb broth
lamb liver
chickpea
natural flavor

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Pork & Pork Liver Select
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Pork & Pork Liver Select
First Five Ingredients
pork
pork broth
pork liver
chickpea
salmon oil

NutriSource

Grain Free Cat Food
Turkey & Turkey Liver Select
NutriSource
Grain Free Cat Food Turkey & Turkey Liver Select
First Five Ingredients
turkey
turkey broth
turkey liver
natural flavor
calcium carbonate

NutriSource

Wet Cat Food
Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Formula For Cats & Kittens
NutriSource
Wet Cat Food Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Formula For Cats & Kittens
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken broth
turkey
chicken liver
brown rice flour

NutriSource

Wet Cat Food
Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish Formula For Kittens
NutriSource
Wet Cat Food Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish Formula For Kittens
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken broth
turkey
chicken liver
brown rice flour

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Beef Entree For Cats
NutriSource
Pure Vita Beef Entree For Cats
First Five Ingredients
beef
beef broth
beef liver
natural flavor
calcium carbonate

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Chicken Entree For Cats
NutriSource
Pure Vita Chicken Entree For Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken broth
chicken liver
agar-agar
yeast extract

NutriSource

Pure Vita
Turkey Entree For Cats
NutriSource
Pure Vita Turkey Entree For Cats
First Five Ingredients
turkey
turkey broth
turkey liver
natural flavor
calcium carbonate