{"topic_id":"EFSA_CONTAM_nitrate_nitrite_feed","category":"efsa","context":"---\ntopic_id: EFSA_CONTAM_nitrate_nitrite_feed\ncategory: efsa\ntitle: \"EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"EFSA scientific opinion, EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290 (DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6290)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/efsa_l/PMC7610142.xml\nsource_type: journal_article\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-06\ntokens_estimated: 448\nverified: true\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 3\n  passed: 3\n  date: 2026-08-06\nsource_document: \"EFSA Journal 18(7):6290 — EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM)\"\n  title: \"EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)\"\n  url: \"https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6290\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-06\"\n  ref: \"EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290\"\n  doc_type: \"EFSA scientific opinion (Europe PMC OA full-text XML)\"\n  needs_review: false\nauthority_tier: T1\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T1:eu-body\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-06\n---\n# EFSA CONTAM — nitrate and nitrite in feed\n\nSource: EFSA CONTAM scientific opinion, EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290 (DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6290), retrieved 2026-08-06 via Europe PMC OA full-text XML. Paraphrase of an EFSA opinion that the source XML tags CC-BY-ND; per project COPYRIGHT_POLICY only facts/numbers/proper-nouns are quoted verbatim, sentences rewritten.\n\n## Editorial context (read this before using the data point)\n\nThis is the **EFSA CONTAM** jurisdiction on **nitrate and nitrite in feed** — explicitly covering **farm and companion animals**. Relevant to pet foods containing nitrate-rich ingredients (e.g., certain vegetables, silages). Read with the `efsa` contaminant endpoints.\n\n## Key findings (paraphrase; numbers and proper nouns verbatim from source)\n\n- Exposure estimates were derived from the EFSA database for nitrate in **commonly used feed materials for farm and companion animals**.\n- A **NOAEL of 410 mg nitrate/kg bw per day** was identified; **0 mg nitrate/kg bw per day in pigs' feeds** indicates a low risk for adverse health effects (though exposure may be underestimated due to missing ingredient data).\n- A **BMDL10 of 64 mg nitrate/kg bw per day for adult cattle** was identified, based on methaemoglobin (MetHb) levels that would not induce clinical signs of hypoxia.\n\n## Pet-food relevance\n\nCompanion-animal diets (incl. fresh/raw and vegetable-containing formulas) can carry nitrate; the opinion's inclusion of companion animals and the MetHb-based cattle BMDL frame the toxicity thinking. Cross-ref the existing `efsa` contaminant endpoints.\n\n## Scope note / honest gap\n\nParaphrase of an EFSA opinion; full exposure modelling is not reproduced. Source XML licence tag was CC-BY-ND, so this topic quotes only data points verbatim and rewrites prose.\n","sources":["OFT3 — EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290) (retrieved 2026-08-06)"],"source":{"authority":"OFT3","title":"EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)","url":"https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6290","retrieved":"2026-08-06","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"EFSA Journal 18(7):6290 — EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/efsa_l/PMC7610142.xml"},"source_document":"EFSA Journal 18(7):6290 — EFSA CONTAM — risk assessment of nitrate and nitrite in feed: companion animals included; pig NOAEL 410 mg nitrate/kg bw/day, cattle BMDL10 64 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA Journal 2020;18(7):6290)","source_file":"pdf-raw/efsa_l/PMC7610142.xml","trust":{"authority_tier":"T1","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":null,"display_grade":"C"},"tokens_estimated":360,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}