EFSA FEEDAP — taurine (3a370) for Canidae and Felidae
Source: EFSA FEEDAP scientific opinion, EFSA Journal 2025;23(7):9540 (DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9540), 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 FEEDAP jurisdiction on taurine (3a370) assessed specifically for Canidae (dogs) and Felidae (cats) — the most directly pet-relevant of the four opinions in this batch. Read with the efsa nutrient endpoints and AAFCO/FEDIAF taurine provisions.
Key findings (paraphrase; numbers and proper nouns verbatim from source)
- The additive is considered safe for cats at levels of 0.05%–0.25%, with a margin of safety ranging from 4 to 20.
- For carnivorous fish, it is safe at levels of 2.0%–2.5%.
- For other target species, including all poultry and all porcine species, the Panel concludes levels of up to 0.2% taurine in complete feed are tolerated; however, a margin of safety cannot be established.
- The use of taurine as a nutritional feed additive, in both the vitamins and amino acids functional groups, would not raise any safety concerns for consumers or the environment.
Pet-food relevance
Taurine is an essential nutrient for cats (and relevant for dogs). The explicit cat safety range 0.05%–0.25% and the margin-of-safety 4–20 are directly usable by cat-food formulators; the dog (Canidae) assessment is covered under the broader "other species" tolerance.
Scope note / honest gap
Paraphrase of an EFSA opinion; full dose-response statistics are not reproduced. Source XML licence tag was CC-BY-ND, so this topic quotes only data points verbatim and rewrites prose.