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Waste Candy fed Cows

Animals have become the industrial food waste disposal system. It makes no matter to most of industry what Mother Nature intended them to eat. We just learned of a load of Skittles was destined for cattle feed. We are what they eat.

Animals have become the industrial food waste disposal system. It makes no matter to most of industry what Mother Nature intended them to eat. We just learned of a load of Skittles was destined for cattle feed. We are what they eat.

‘You are what you eat’ doesn’t apply to the animal feed industry – at least the mass produced animal industry. The norm in feeding livestock animals (animals that become both human and pet food) is a high percentage of waste.

When a truck load of Skittles spilled on a highway in rural Wisconsin recently, it made national news. The reason – those Skittles candy were heading to a farm to feed cattle. CBS News shared a Facebook post from Dodge County Sheriff’s Office stating “UPDATE: The Skittles were confirmed to have fallen off the back of a truck. The truck was a flatbed pickup and the Skittles were in a large box. Due to it raining at the time, the box got wet and gave way allowing the Skittles to spill out on the roadway. It is reported that the Skittles were intended to be feed for cattle as they did not make the cut for packaging at the company.”

Mars – manufacturer of Skittles – told CBS News “We don’t know how it ended up as it did and we are investigating.” “Company spokeswoman Denise Young said the Skittles were supposed to be destroyed because a power outage prevented the signature “S’’ from being placed on the candies. She said Mars planned to contact the sheriff’s office and the farmer to find out more.”

The truth is, rarely is bad candy destroyed. It is VERY common for the candy industry (and multiple other industries) to dispose of waste into animal feed.

Example: cattle.

Cattle are herbivores, meaning Mother Nature designed cattle to consume plant material…mainly grass.

But…from a paper published by the University of Wisconsin College of Agricultural and Life Sciences titled “By-Product Feedstuffs in Dairy Cattle Diets in the Upper Midwest” we learn that cattle are often fed candy, expired bakery products, and even dried blood.

Below are just a few of the ‘by-product feedstuffs’ recommended/allowed into cattle feed…

Candy: “Candy products are available through a number of distributors and sometimes directly from smaller plants. They are often economical sources of nutrients, particularly fat. They are sometimes fed in their wrappers. Candies, such as cull gummy bears, lemon drops or gum drops, are high in sugar content. The upper feeding limits for candy or candy blends and chocolate are 5 and 2 lb. per cow per day, respectively. This is approximately 15% of concentrate DM…and 6% of concentrate DM for chocolate. The feeding rate of high-sugar candies should be limited to 2 to 4 lb. per cow per day.”

Bakery Wastes: “Stale bread and other pastry products from stores or bakeries can be fed to dairy cattle in limited amounts. These products are sometimes fed as received without drying or even removal of the wrappers. The upper feeding limit for dried bread is 20% of concentrate DM. Dried bakery product is a fairly standardized ingredient used by the feed industry. It generally consists of a mixture of bread, cookies, cake, crackers, flours and doughs.”

Blood Meal, Feather Meal, Fish Meal, Meat and Bone Meal: “Typical feeding rates for blood meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal, and poultry byproduct meal are .5-1.0, 1.0-1.5, 1.0-1.5, 1.0-2.0, and 1.0-1.5 pounds per cow per day, respectively.”

At the August 2015 AAFCO meeting the discussion arose of expired grocery foods (the official ingredient name is “Human Food Processing By-Products) – example given was expired yogurt in the plastic cups. Expired grocery foods – often in their plastic and paper containers – are rendered (cooked) and added to livestock feed. An industry spokesperson stated it would be “unconscionable to landfill these nutrients”. Dr. Cathy Alinovi told the committee “3 week old nasty moldy bread – is that edible? I don’t think plasticized yogurt is nutrition and I don’t think cows do either.” She told them children are drinking the milk from cows eating plastic and she brought forward to their attention the true cost of feeding animals waste (which is the cost of human and animal health). The room full of industry representatives laughed at and boo-ed her. Their defense to feeding animals waste, ‘We’re trying to feed a hungry world’.

And let’s not forget about animal waste; yes, animal poo is also recycled into animal food. The FDA states “Recycled animal waste is a processed feed product for livestock derived from livestock manure or a mixture of manure and litter. Animal wastes contain significant percentages of protein, fiber, and essential minerals and have been deliberately incorporated into animal diets for their nutrient properties for over 30 years.”

In 2012 CNN published a story on struggling cattle farmers feeding cattle candy. “It has been a practice going on for decades and is a very good way to for producers to reduce feed cost, and to provide less expensive food for consumers,” said Ki Fanning, a livestock nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Inc. in Eagle, Neb.”

But is it really ‘less expensive food’? Sort term maybe. But what are the long term costs of feeding livestock animals feeds that include high levels of illegal material Mother Nature never intended them to eat (plastic, blood, candy, feathers)? Does anyone of authority (regulatory authority) have a brain that thinks of the long term costs?

For concerned consumers: Purchase as much grass fed beef and milk as you can afford, same for other meats and eggs and fish (example pasture raised chicken and eggs). Do the same for your pet. Some is better than none. Not only will you and your pet be consuming meat as Mother Nature intended, you are at the same time supporting farmers that care enough to feed their animals properly (and treat them humanely).

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Jane Democracy

    January 23, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    Just to add to this… For those who feed grain free potato based kibble,,, potato chip waste is being sent to pet food manufacturers as dried potato. It can contain the flavourings, so it is not just the off cuts of potato but the the potato chip waste as well. This includes premium brands too… Yuck!

    • T Allen

      January 23, 2017 at 3:58 pm

      Yes, every single ingredient in pet foods, even the “premium” ones are a by-product (read waste product) of a human food industry. Pumpkin=pumpkin skins, eggs=cracked, beef= bruised, parasite ridden, tails, lower legs, etc. It’s all garbage but even I had no idea they were where including plastic in the rendering. That has serious health implications. Look up BPA and other plastic chemicals.

      • Dawn

        January 23, 2017 at 9:46 pm

        How do you know this?

    • Leanne S.

      January 23, 2017 at 4:09 pm

      Oh, god. And the oils potato chips are fried in is highly toxic and inflammatory. In fact, the exhausted, superheated oil is probably also incorporated directly into pet foods. Any wonder all of our pets get cancer!

      • Sheila E

        January 30, 2017 at 9:53 am

        Exactly. Sighs.

    • Sheila E

      January 30, 2017 at 9:58 am

      Yuck indeed!! Not surprised but thoroughly disappointed. This exemplifies my beef over the Skittles – forget my idealism, it’s all about the unwanted red food dye in the Skittles. I am so sick and tired of big Ag/corps. They are killing us, people and pets.

  2. Reader

    January 23, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    It’s funny (but not really) how the TV News story came to be. The real mystery was why were there only red Skittles on the side of the highway? Which led to the admission about transport. It happen to be the red Skittles only. With people scratching their heads … well why would cattle be eating candy? Researching just a little further, wouldn’t it have been a good teaching moment for the Media to disclose all the junk food that livestock DOES eat? But that’s our dishonest Media again, superficial and self-serving. Probably wouldn’t want to offend a Sponsor, and heaven help us all, the great, wise, all wonderful MARS CANDY company!!

    Susan wrote a long time ago about expired food stuff from large chain discount grocery stores. Where they scoop up meat in Styrofoam packaging and never bother to separate it. Carry that over a hundred times to bakery goods, and ALL the other food that comes in plastic packaging, and it’s no wonder why our pets have such “mysterious” reactions to all sorts of PF!

    When will Consumers wake up and demand transparency? And you can’t even begin to explain this kind of stuff to pet owners who just don’t want to listen!

  3. Patti Meyer

    January 23, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    I would love to see the company CEOs on down to the farmers – be jailed for a month & forced to eat the same crap they feed to those poor animals. They should find out just how tasty ground plastic is….

  4. Dr Amy

    January 23, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    oh boy! Were the cows to eat the packaging too? Please see also my blog post: “Gimme Candy!” http://www.answers4veterinarians.com/blog

    • Dr Amy

      January 23, 2017 at 4:17 pm

      sorry, that was my 10/31/16 post.

  5. carole

    January 23, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    It is actually cheaper to feed a home prepared diet for your dog over all. They do not eat that much. Plus you have a dog that does not need to see the vet. They will not have ear infections or mouth n teeth problems. This will last well into their teens
    It is so easy. As easy as it is to feed yourself.

  6. Johanna

    January 23, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Excellent article, Susan. It’s so disgusting what they are getting away with in the food industry. For those who think they can’t afford grass-fed, I encourage you to look around online at local farms. I found a place semi-close to where I live that offers 100% grass-fed organ meats for $1/lb. I’m also in contact with a local farm that offers organic grass-fed beef post-processing at around $5/lb for a side. Look for the term “practicing organic”, which means they are following the basic standards of organic but haven’t yet become certified, and are usually cheaper as a result. A local place I now buy milk from feeds and raises their cows 100% organically, but they are just shy of the required acreage for their cows to certify. Because of this, their prices are lower. Also, if you’re allowed to in your area, consider raising a few of your own free-range layer hens. There are ways to find good prices if you’re willing to look for them, not to mention cutting out the really bad foods in your diet (soda, chips, etc.) and re-purposing the money spent on them towards organic foods. You and your pets will be so much healthier for it!

  7. Reader

    January 23, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    This is a really big issue. Of all the things that the PFI needs to correct, it’s the idea of feeding spoiled and diseased food stuff waste to animals! Would you not agree that it’s actually a form of “animal abuse?” With all the animal rights activists out there, even the above post that speaks of the horrors of slaughter, why would people ignore an issue that’s right in our faces? Just because a pet survives on this this diet (as opposed to starvation), it doesn’t mean they’re thriving. In fact the number of issues that Owner’s seem to be complaining about, are only increasing! Prescribing medications to treat irritated ears, skin ruptures, and upset digestive activity, is NOT the remedy! NOT at all.

    So how can we push this issue of “Animals have become the industrial food waste disposal system” FRONT and CENTER once and for all?

    Ideas please ….

  8. cb

    January 23, 2017 at 7:56 pm

    I really don’t want to eat something that are cooked plastic.

    • cb

      January 23, 2017 at 7:57 pm

      Oops *ate

  9. Batzion

    January 24, 2017 at 2:19 am

    Just came across this AP article about the Skittles and MARS. Oh dear, MARS seems perplexed: https://apnews.com/f07d6b0d3ab643578703a40099d6b3f6?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email

  10. Eve

    January 26, 2017 at 11:04 am

    Yep enough to give you the ‘skittles’ I mean FAR OUT this is NUTS! I’ve been in the animal industry for over 20 years and THIS is just another SICK twisted indecent behaviour. I knew commercial pet food is ‘TRASH’ but feeding cattle ‘HUMAN LOLLIES-SUGAR WASTE’ it’s horrendous. OMG these poor poor animals. It angers me how these also sentient beings are being treated – I am ethically glad I am Vegan I myself will NEVER pay for someone to kill or hurt an animal for my enjoyment after all food IS enjoyment. I simply get NO pleasure in ingesting tortured souls. I am so happy to hear ‘the good food institute’ is finding ways to harvest animal-FREE meat without factory farming – billions of animals lives will be saved from enduring a horror assistance, but I just hope that the meat will be harmless for our beloved pets – cats and dogs are designed to eat meat says 40 million yrs of evolution – sure we can change their diets – but we ethically should NOT that would be no different from force feeding cattle’s ‘lollies. REMEMBERING SPECISM is unjust as we all living beings are connected to one another cow-cat-dog-deer+cow+cat+dog+deer+cow…understood!

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