Feeding BubbleGum & Aluminum Wrapper to Cows = Crazy?

Well… I think it’s crazy but… objective Science would argue otherwise. I came across this article on the Bits and Bytes webpage – which I highly recommend you check out – it is a clearing house for food security related literature/media and loaded with all sorts of great material.

http://bitsandbytes.ca/resources/YouAreWhatYourAnimalsEat.pdf

The gist of the study was to test the effects of finishing (feeding) cattle using a ration of, get this: chewing gum that is till in the wrapper. To be clear, this means feeding: a) chewing gum to cows and b) aluminum wrappers to cows.The results of the study were that by replacing 30% of the corn/grain ration with chewing gum and wrappers, that you could increase rate gain and not have unacceptable levels of aluminum, zinc or barium accumulating in the liver or other tissues.

Clearly we live in a strange world where this can make sense. I guess the gum market was down that year and they were looking for something to do with the glut of product? The paradigm in the industrial food system is that it doesn’t really matter what you feed an animal, as long as it” a) gains weight, b) marbles nicely and c) remains within ‘acceptable’ levels of toxic/dangerous substances then its open season. Within those parameters, you can substitute just about anything and the cheaper the better.

There is no consideration of: how does feeding bubblegum/aluminum wrappers to cows affect: a) the taste of the meat, b) the quality of life of the animal, c) what happens to all the aluminum that goes through the cow and into the waste stream / environment, d) does the eater want to eat a cow that has been eating aluminum and is there a responsibility to label the meat as ‘aluminum fed’ – well maybe that last one is going too far but, there is certainly a need to be more transparent around how animals are treated, where they are raised/finished/slaughtered, what they are fed, etc.

All this is to say that, I think the idea of feeding chewing gum and other ‘input substitutions’ like chicken manure, is unacceptable. This, among many other reasons, is why I refuse to eat industrial meat. I opt to know where my meat comes from and to ensure that it is raised and processed ethically and safely. Find a local farmer/rancher, visit the farm, ask questions, know your food.

Wolf, B. W., L. L. Berger, et al. (1996). “Effects of feeding a return chewing gum/packaging material mixture on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle.” J Anim Sci 74(11): 2559-65.