Candy to Cattle Feed: Holiday candy waste may be repurposed in livestock diets
As Americans load up on boxes of assorted chocolates and other candy this Valentine’s Day, few will likely consider where extra, unsold or imperfect sweets end up. For some of these confections, the final destination isn’t a landfill, it’s a feed bunk.
In fact, each year millions of pounds of candy failing to meet retail standards due to cosmetic defects, packaging errors or seasonal overproduction are repurposed as livestock feed.
For cattle producers facing volatile feed costs and/or persistent drought conditions, candy waste has become somewhat of an unconventional energy source – one nutritionists say can safely replace a portion of traditional feed ingredients when managed correctly.
Using candy as cattle feed
According to multiple sources, producers began incorporating candy, pastries and other food byproducts into cattle feed rations decades ago, particularly during periods of drought or high grain prices.
Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Beef Specialists Chris Richards and Dave Lalman explain, as ruminants, cattle are able to utilize feeds unsuitable for human consumption.
“Cattle are well equipped to utilize feed and forage resources not suitable for human consumption or use,” says Lalman. “This includes restaurant grease, unsold produce from the grocery store, outdated bread, water-damaged flour or cereal and, of course, grass.”
Richards explains, in the rumen, carbohydrates – especially sugars – are rapidly fermented into volatile fatty acids, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream and used as energy.
“For cattle, other than the taste difference, candy is no different than including corn in the diet,” Richards says. “It serves as an energy source for cattle. The bacteria in the rumen break down the candy into the same materials they would starch from corn.”
Lalman continues, “These acids are then absorbed and used by different tissues. Blood sugar does not vary dramatically in ruminants like it does in humans. It is highly regulated.”
While candy waste can certainly be used as a helpful tool to reduce feed costs, experts underscore the importance of using it in moderation, recommending sugary feeds be capped at a small percentage of the total ration to avoid digestive upset or mineral imbalances.
They note candy should be used as a complementary ingredient in a carefully-formulated and balanced ration alongside hay, silage, protein sources and minerals to meet nutritional requirements – not as a feed substitute.
“Nutritional expertise is required to create a balanced program, especially when dealing with feeds other than forage,” Lalman says. “The diet needs to be carefully balanced to keep everything in concert.”
Reducing feed costs and waste
Multiple sources note using candy as cattle feed can provide significant savings for producers, while simultaneously benefiting the environment by reducing waste.
Feed costs are one of the largest expenses for cattle producers, and fluctuating corn prices have historically driven interest in alternative energy sources.
Experts point out corn has sold for $300 per ton in some markets, while candy byproducts such as ice cream sprinkles, gummy worms, marshmallows, chocolate bars, bits of hard candy and powdered hot chocolate mix have been available at nearly half this cost.
“This has been a practice going on for decades, and it is a very good way for producers to reduce feed costs and provide less expensive food for consumers,” says Ki Fanning, a livestock nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Inc., in a Oct. 12, 2012 Farm Progress article.
Additionally, in an Oct. 29, 2025 Sentient article, Jessica Scott-Reid reports most candy fed to cattle comes from manufacturing byproducts – items deemed safe but unsellable. This may include broken chocolate bars, off-colored candy, outdated seasonal products or candies affected by packaging errors.
According to industry estimates, Americans spend more than $27 billion on Valentine’s Day each year, with tens of millions of pounds of chocolate and candy produced for the February holiday alone. Inevitably, some of the product goes unsold.
Rather than sending the surplus to landfills, manufacturers often sell it at discount to ingredient brokers who then supply it to livestock producers.
The ongoing, innovative partnership between the Hershey Company and Cargill is a prime example of this “upcycling” at work.
“Today we have an entire plant in Chambersburg, Penn. dedicated to this environmentally-, economically-, nutritionally-friendly effort,” states Cargill on its website. “There, our team turns tens of thousands of pounds of Hershey’s chocolate waste per year into feed ingredients for cows, pigs and other species of livestock.”
Richards adds, “Candy waste is either landfill material or can be repurposed for other industries. It’s a win-win-win. The candy company gets some revenue, the environment wins by avoiding landfills and the cattle get a great, tasty energy source.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
