9 Reasons Why We Don’t Use Corn in Our Feeds
Our "no corn, no soy, no GMOs" promise is at the heart of our feed formulations. But so what? Why does it matter?
Corn is low in benefits and high in some risks, but it’s inexpensive and because of that is often used in animal feeds (not ours!). Here's what Founder and Nutritionist Alice had to say in cold-hard, scientific facts. Keep in mind that what goes into your chickens ends up in their meat and eggs. So with that, corn is:
Low Protein Quality: Corn contains low crude protein (≈7–9%) and its main protein—zein—is very poor in essential amino acids such as lysine and tryptophan. This makes it nutritionally weak unless supplemented.
High Starch, Low Fiber: Corn is overwhelmingly starch with minimal structural fiber, contributing to metabolic spikes, digestive imbalance, and acidosis in ruminants.
Micronutrient-Poor: While calorie-dense, corn is low in many vitamins (A, D, E, K) and minerals, often requiring fortification.
High Mycotoxin Risk: Corn is the highest-risk grain for aflatoxin, fumonisin, zearalenone, and DON. These toxins harm the liver, immune system, reproduction, and feed intake.
Oxidation and Rancidity: Corn, especially with intact germ, oxidizes quickly. Lipid peroxidation reduces energy value and increases inflammatory by-products.
Fatty Acid Imbalance: Corn is high in omega-6 fatty acids, especially linoleic acid, which skews dietary fatty-acid ratios toward inflammation.
Environmental Costs: Corn requires large inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, and water, contributing to soil degradation and pollution.
System Inefficiency: Feeding human-edible corn to animals yields only 3–40% return of calories as animal protein or calories, making it nutritionally inefficient.
Effects on Inflammatory Markers: Corn-heavy diets are associated with increased inflammatory markers such as IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein. The high omega-6 content, mycotoxin load, and oxidative by-products collectively promote systemic inflammation in both animals and humans. Studies across species show higher baseline inflammatory cytokines when corn is used as a primary energy ingredient compared to more balanced grains like wheat or barley.
Too much science? At its simplest, Alice describes using corn in feed “like filling up on white bread." (As kids, we were sooo envious of other kids' Wonder bread! We did a lot of lunch trading.) Now, go check out our nutrition-dense, low-waste feeds: www.unionpoint.com/wholesale.