Why animals love soybeans and you do, too!

You may not realize it, but you probably enjoy soybean oil quite often. Soybean oil is the most widely used edible oil in the United States. It is frequently used in mayonnaise, salad dressings, shortening, frozen foods and commercially baked goods.

Humans aren’t the only ones that appreciate soybeans! Many farm animals enjoy soybean meal as part of a balanced diet. Pigs especially – they eat almost 75 percent of the soybean meal fed in Illinois.

What is soybean meal?

Soybean meal is the by-product of the extraction of soybean oil. What does that mean?

Soybeans are cracked, heated, flaked and passed through an expander that extracts the oil. The extracted flakes are further dried, toasted and ground. This resulting powder is called soybean meal. The toasting of soybean meal increases animals’ ability to digest their food and is an excellent source of protein.

People get all of the great things made with soybean oil, and animals get a nutritious meal out of the leftovers! Sustainability: 1, Food Waste: 0.