Regarding the dissolvable corn-starch packing peanuts: I worked in the
receiving dept of an independent bookstore for four years, and saw these
peanuts often. While they are made of an edible cereal product, the
literature that accompanies them specifically states that they are not
made to any standard (as cereal intended to be eaten is), and are not
intended to be ingested. I would not eat it myself or feed it to any
animal. (At work we mostly stuck them together and called it sculpture,
or moistened the end and threw them at each other (they stick to you,
your clothes, the ceiling).
[Posted in FML issue 1270]