EFSA CONTAM — nitrate and nitrite in feed
Source: 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.
Editorial context (read this before using the data point)
This 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.
Key findings (paraphrase; numbers and proper nouns verbatim from source)
- Exposure estimates were derived from the EFSA database for nitrate in commonly used feed materials for farm and companion animals.
- 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).
- 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.
Pet-food relevance
Companion-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.
Scope note / honest gap
Paraphrase 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.