Feed
Myth: Farm animals mostly eat stuff that humans can't eat.
Fact:
- Chickens and pigs don't.
- Cows, sheep and goats can, but that alone can produce only a limited amount of meat & milk globally. Hence human-edible food is added to their diets.
- Details:
| Can it be digested and absorbed by | Notes | ||
| Non-ruminants such as humans, chickens, pigs |
Ruminants such as cows, sheep, goats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Products such as grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts |
Yes | Yes | The grains fed to animals are the same grains that could be ground into flour and used in baking. This includes corn. |
| By-products such as wheat germ, molasses, soybean meal |
Yes | Yes | Soybean meal is 52% protein, and it can be ground into soy flour and used in baking. [read more]By-products often contain more nutrients than the main products. ~ When wheat is processed into white flour, nutrient-rich wheat germ is left behind.Note: It's called "germ" because it's the part of the grain that germinates; it has nothing to do with infectious "germs". ~ When sugarcane or beets are processed into white sugar, mineral-rich molasses is left behind. ~ When soybeans are processed to make soybean oil, protein-rich soybean meal is left behind. |
| Crop residues such as peanut shells, straw, husks empty corn cobs |
No | Yes | Fibrous parts left over from food crops. For example straw is left over from grain crops such as wheat and rice. Ruminants can digest fiber and use it as a source of calories. Non-ruminants cannot. |
| Grass | No | Yes | Pasture |