It was revealed recently that American farmers have secretly been using defective Skittles to feed their cows to avoid paying for expensive corn.The news was made public after a truck spilled hundreds of thousands of Skittles onto a road. All of the candies were red and without the trademark "S" on them.
According to experts, although unknown to many, the practice has been going on for years. Defective candies are not only cheaper than corn, they could also provide other benefits over regular feed. Initially, the crash have mystified residents as to why so many of the candy appeared on the road, but now, it has helped shed light on animal feeding practices that had been previously unknown.
According to the Independent , the practice is actually beneficial to farm animals, and might even be more environmentally friendly than traditional feeds. Joseph Watson, owner of United Livestock Commodities, have commented that feeding cows Skittles "actually has a higher ratio of fat than feeding them straight corn". John Waller, a professor of animal nutrition, have also said that it was likely to be better for the environment because it keeps "fat material" from simply going to waste and dumped in landfills.
The practice of buying defective or surplus food to use as feeds go back for decades. It is thought to have returned to practice around 2012 when corn prices skyrocketed and farmers needed a cheaper alternative of feeding their animals. John Waller additionally explains that Skittles are a nutritious meal to feed the animals, the NY Post reports.
With the recent issue on feeding antibiotics to farm animals to make them grow bigger and develop stronger resistance against infections, feeding Skittles instead have a more positive outcome. Officials also said that the Skittle in crash had proven helpful to the roads, providing extra traction for vehicles during the icy week.
