Feeding trials were conducted to determine the significance of the reduction in feed consumption observed when growing pigs were fed complete diets containing approximately 6 ppm vomitoxin. Sixty Landrace weaners, weighing on average 22 kg, were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. The dietary treatments were: (1) control cereal soybean diet fed ad libitum (mycotoxin free); (2) vomitoxin diet fed ad libitum in which 100% of the clean wheat included in the control diet was replaced by moldy wheat containing 10.32 ppm vomitoxin; (3) control diet fed restricted to the average daily intake of pigs fed the vomitoxin diet; and (4) upgraded vomitoxin diet fed ad libitum and containing approximately 20% more energy, crude protein, minerals and vitamins. Individual feed consumption was recorded daily for 12 wk. The control diet promoted significantly (P < 0.05) greater total body weight gains and also the greatest feed consumption. Body weight gains were not different (P > 0.05) for the vomitoxin and restricted control dietary treatments. The vomitoxin upgraded treatment resulted in greater total body weight gains (P < 0.05) than the vomitoxin treatment. During the 12-wk period, animals in the vomitoxin and restricted-control-fed groups consumed 71% as much feed as the control group fed ad libitum while the vomitoxin upgraded group consumed 77% as much as the control. Analysis for blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, plasma protein and alkaline phosphatase revealed no differences (P > 0.05) between dietary treatments. With respect to animal performance and blood biochemical profiles, the effect of vomitoxin appears to be primarily limited to feed acceptability and intake, with no apparent consequences on the metabolic function of the animal. Key words: Vomitoxin, deoxynivalenol, growing pigs, feed consumption