Potato Peel and why the cows love it

28 July 2021

As a food processor of fresh vegetables and fruit, we have a LOT of peel, especially potato, to consider.  At The Real Fresh Chip Co we are also committed to being as environmentally friendly as possible.  This ethos runs right through the business and we continually look for ways to recycle, re-use, and re-purpose.

That’s why all our waste peel is keeping a whole bunch of Fife cows very happy indeed.  Cattle consider vegetable peel a really tasty snack. Potato peel is a balanced feed with good protein, energy and starch content.  It’s easy to digest having been washed and it’s high in fibrous nutrients.

High Energy

Indeed all vegetable waste has a relatively high energy (ME) value – in the range of 12-13MJ/kg dry matter and some, like cauliflower and broccoli, are also high in protein (18-23% DM). Their DM content will, however, be low at 8-12%.

If you translate this into human consumption it would work out that one hundred grams of skins, which is about equal to the skin from two potatoes, has double the amount of seven nutrients, five times more riboflavin, seven times the calcium, and 17 times more iron than the same amount of flesh. You would get the same amount of vitamin C from equal portions of the skin and flesh.

We supply this waste to a local farmer, Stuart McPherson of Pitkinnie Farm.  His chooks (chickens) also love our lettuce trimmings.

Road Miles

If we didn’t have an outlet, we’d more than likely have to engage with Food Waste uplift services with this waste possibly travelling hundreds of road miles before being converted into Anaerobic Digestate.  Conversion to AD is, of course, a great thing because it can be converted into power for homes and businesses. But why add to road miles when there is a herd of cows looking forward to their regular tasty snacks down the road.

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