"Not for human consumption" seeds. Have you snacked on some?

secuono

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So, I LOVE sunflower seeds. Store sells tiny little sandwhich baggies of it for $6-9 each! Then, the petstore sells hulled sunflowers in a wonderful 5 pound bag for $7!

What makes it "Not for human consumption"? I mean, how mad can it be? I'm not going to feed my pets, birds or livestock something potentially dangerous. And I'm sure many of us have eaten less than proper foods, by accident or what have you.

Has anyone ever eaten any bird food seeds? Did you get sick? Do you still eat it?
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

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i worry about that too. last week i got something for my parakeet that has peanuts, mangoes and papaya in it. when i got home i wanted to test it for freshness so i tried a peanut. blaaah! i don't think the peanut was cooked so i spit it out. that is not good for a person to eat them raw. i didn't think you could give any animal a peanut raw. the papaya/mangoes were ok and no problems. i just give her the dried fruits and pick out the peanuts.

in all honesty if i was to feed something to my animal i would want it safe for a person to eat too. i think they just use lower quality foods when it comes to items intended for pets. plus,if you ever notice on the back of most packages for animals where the food was packed/country of origin you probably wouldn't buy it unless made in the USA.
 

seedcorn

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Raw peanuts are good. Not for human consumption means they haven't been inspected as well as the packaging location. Plus the levels of toxins allowed could be different.
 

Ridgerunner

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Since its in a pet store for pet food it should be pretty safe. I agree with Seed, inspection requirements could easily be different. But instead of "toxins", I was thinking more about impurities. The amount of impurities allowed could easily be different for animals than for humans. Still, you will probably live.

If it is meant for planting I would not eat it. Seed potatoes are often treated with some pretty nasty chemicals to break dormancy. Some seeds are treated with insecticides or fungicides. I just don't trust seeds for planting and would not feed them animals or eat them myself.
 

seedcorn

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IF it is treated for seed, it will be clearly marked on label as well as some color dye that is completely different than normal seed color.
 

Ridgerunner

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IF it is treated for seed, it will be clearly marked on label as well as some color dye that is completely different than normal seed color.
You're right, if it has a label it should be marked on there. I'd be surprised if there isn't some legal requirement for that, there should be. Same with putting a dye in treated seeds, should be a legal requirement. I imagine there is a Federal law for anything in interstate commerce but when you deal with in-state Mom 'n Pop's, those Federal laws may not always apply. Each state would have to handle things inside that state and many laws, Federal or State, exempt small operations. I have not studied it so I don't know what laws are on the books.

But I buy some of my seeds from a local Mom 'n Pop gardening store that package their own in generic seed envelopes and just write on them what kind of seed it is. I buy a few things in bulk, no packaging at all, onion sets, seed potatoes, even peanuts when I was in south Louisiana.

After writing that I did a bit of googling. A quick search came up with this.

Section 5: Treated Seed Labeling
Summary: The Federal Seed Act (FSA) mandates that treated seeds have labels that provide information to allow seed customers and handlers to make informed choices and to adhere to “best management practices” for use. The information on seed tags is specifically described and enforced under the FSA by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) may specify additional information on the seed tag, via instructions on the labels of seed treatment products registered under FIFRA.

  1. Treated Seed Tag Labeling:
    1. Every container of treated seed must be labeled per regulations promulgated under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Seed Act. The FSA requires treated seed to be labeled with the statement, “Not to be used for food, feed and oil,” and the identity of the active ingredients used to treat the seed.
    2. Include all Seed Tag requirements as indicated on the EPA-approved seed treatment product label.
    3. All seeds treated with chemical pesticides, except for hopper planter box application, must be colored with an “EPA approved dye or colorant that imparts an unnatural color to the seed” [40 CFR §153.155(c)]. Additional local, state and federal requirements may apply. Refer to your local and state regulations.

Section 203 in this talks about exemptions. It's kind of long and I have not read every word, but there are exemptions. Bulk is handled differently than packaged seeds. From what I can tell , in some instances the information just has to be on the invoice.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Federal Seed Act.pdf

I took the statement below in italics from the link just above. I did not find the label "not for human consumption " in here but that does not mean it isn't there somewhere or that it has a special meaning.

If the substance used in such treatment in the amount remaining with the seeds is h armful to


humans or other vertebrate animals, an appropriate caution statement provided by the Secretary of


Agriculture as adequate for the protection of the public, such as "Do not use for food or feed or oil


purposes": Provided, That the caution statement for mercurials and similarly toxic substances, as defined in


said rules and regulations, shall be a representation of a skull and crossbones and a statement such as


"This seed has been treated with POISON," in red letters on a background of distinctly contrasting color;


I notice that sunflower, potato, and peanut seeds are not listed in "Vegetable Seeds" (onions are) in the link below. But sunflower and peanuts are listed under "Agricultural Seeds". Potatoes are not in either. You have to read these regulations closely to see what applies where.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-id...ca445c78a5&mc=true&node=se7.3.201_12&rgn=div8

In general I just consider it good practice to not eat seeds or other things intended to be planted whether they are labelled as unsafe or dyed or not. Many things will be perfectly safe but I don't do it anyway.

I tried to find some information as to why sunflower seeds intended for use as bird feed are labelled not for human consumption and had no luck. I got a lot of opinions but nothing from anyone in authority. The opinion I most believe is that processing, packaging, shipping, and storing requirements are probably not up to Human Consumption standards.
 

seedcorn

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That's fine @Nyboy but that doesn't do it for me as we used to think Chemicals were safe and salesmen would say you could drink it. OH BOY, WERE THEY WRONG!!!

Dogs like the stinkiest foods, not the ones we would eat. So I'll let you sample the food... :)
 

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