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Feed Animals
Food Waste
Animal Feed
Recovering food discards as animal feed is not new. In many areas hog farmers have traditionally relied on food discards to sustain their livestock. Farmers may provide storage containers and free or low-cost pick-up service. Coffee grounds and foods with high salt content are usually not accepted, as they can be harmful to livestock.
Appropriate excess food may also be provided to zoos for use as feed for select animals, based upon the determination of each zoo’s animal feeding experts. If surplus food provided to animals contains no meat or animal materials, federal laws or regulations do not apply, although there may be state laws that regulate such feeding. However, in cases were food contains meat or animal materials, or food that has come into contact with meat or animal products, converting food into feed for hogs is regulated by the Federal Swine Health Protection Act (PL 96 468). This Act requires that all such food must be boiled before being fed to hogs and that facilities conducting the boiling be registered with either the USDA or the chief agricultural or animal health official in the state in which the facility is located.
There are also companies that convert food discards into commercial animal feed and pet food. Feeding waste food to livestock or having the food processed into animal feed is a viable option for recycling food scraps and provides economic and environmental benefits for all involved.
Resources
Feeding Animals – The Business Solution to Food Scraps is a success story showing how Rutgers University partnered with a local farm to divert food waste from its dining halls and feed cattle and hogs.
Food Scraps Go to the Animals is a success story showing how Barthold Recycling and Roll-Off Services picks up food scraps from commercial businesses and feeds the scraps to pigs and cattle.
Putting Surplus Food to Good Use: A How-To Guide for Food Service Providers (PDF) (2pp, 208K, about PDF) Provides guidance for food service providers-supermarkets, hospitals, universities, restaurants, and food preparation companies-about what to do with leftover food.
