Do packing peanuts have any nutritional value?

Question

I know they are edible, but can they sustain you for a short period of time? For instance, if you were on board a transport plane that crashed on a barren island, will eating the packing peanuts (that's all you have) on board the plane help you survive longer while waiting for rescue?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Yes and No! The most common old fashioned kind are made from Styrofoam and have no nutritional value. I guess if you were starving they might fill you up but wouldn't give you any needed calories or nutrients.
The newer type that my shippers never seem to use are made from a plant starch (renewable resource). The idea being they will break down and not fill landfills. Starch is one form of Carbohydrate. Carbs have 4 calories per gram. So I guess they could get you through a while. But man does not live by bread alone.

Source(s):

My Brain ( full of useless and trivial knowledge)

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks for the answer! That makes sense, though all the other people calling me idiot made me feel bad.

Answer 2

what? i never heard of this. i thought theyre just made out of styrofoam.

however, my grandma packs some of the stuff she sends with popcorn. shes like, "eat it!" but...i never do because its all old and stale and who knows where that package has been lol

Answer 3

no!

Answer 4

LOL! This is an interesting question! I did not know they were edible, first of all...second, I think they would do a number on your body. I found this information on Wikipedia...

Foam peanuts, also known as packing peanuts, are a common loose-fill packing material which is also used to prevent damage to fragile objects during shipping. They were introduced circa 1965. They are roughly the size and shape of a peanut (in its shell) and usually made of polystyrene. They are shaped to interlock when compressed and free flow when not compressed.

In the early-1990s, a more environmentally friendly starch-based alternative was developed. One of the first brands of biodegradable peanuts, Biofoam, is made from the grain sorghum; other brands are made from corn starch. Biodegradable foam peanuts have no electrostatic charge, another benefit over polystyrene. Being biodegradable and nontoxic, they are also edible. Two of their main drawbacks are a lesser resilience and higher weight relative to polystyrene.

Starch-based peanuts are soluble in water, and polystyrene peanuts are soluble in acetone, but not vice versa. Because polystyrene peanuts are non-soluble in water, they are also used as a light-weight aggregate in hydroponics.

And I have to say, I would only eat the bio ones if I had to eat any...LOL

Answer 5

I think there are newer versions of packing peanuts that are actually made out of corn or something as a way to reduce waste. I have no idea how much nutrional value this pack.

Answer 6

ummm no.....they're styrofoam, dude....

Answer 7

Haha! They are STYROFOAM, idiot!