Well, the seminar happened, and it was pretty much what I expected: Canned responses, all backed by "we've done the SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH to prove it". A lot of buzzwording was dropped, but their focus is on the nutrients, not the ingredients. "Most digestible nutrients backed by science." SCIENCE.
When asked the inevitable about corn, the response was that is's the best digestible source of lutein available to pet foods. This is untrue; other, higher-quality foods use kale and spinach, which have a much higher concentration of lutein, but are also more expensive to manufacture; imagine that. She kept repeating "believe me, if there was a better lutein source we wouldn't be using corn" but in the same breath would also say that corn was a highly digestible source of protein. Okay, then why don't you fully stand behind it...? Oh, right, because corn is bad.
We asked about the new Spayed/Neutered food, and why it's loaded with crap: corn as the first ingredient, rice hulls as the fifth, etc. and she said she'd get back to us.
Also it's apparently designed for weight control + urinary health, which other high-end foods do with a simple weight management formula.
It went on like this. Kibble shapes? Proven to work. They have cameras in the bowls at their labs when the dogs eat, and they eat more easily with shaped kibbles. Uh huh... etc.
The rescue ranch that hosted the seminar was amazing, though. Totally what I would open if I won the lottery. Huge barn full of spacious kennels and training rooms, an indoor agility arena for rental, boarding facilities... swoooon.