Hat tip to OCA for this udderly disgusting story (it's a video).
As corn prices are going up, large scale factory farm operations are looking for cheaper foods to feed cattle. Among new cost cutting measures, mixing reject M&Ms and potato chips with corn feed is no longer uncommon. Of course compared to the dangerous but routine practice of feeding slaughterhouse waste, blood, and manure to feedlot animals, M&Ms and potato chips don't sound that bad. In the meantime, cattle ranchers raising grass-fed beef are struggling to stay in business, as more people are buying the cheap stuff.
I'm sure it's a boon for M&M/Mars and Frito-Lay, but this is a bad deal for the beef-eating population of America. And probably even worse for the cows!
(Details on Cargill's high profits in this time of high commodity prices below. Both corn and soy hit record highs in July. Wheat hit a record high earlier in the year.)
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