EFSA NDA — tolerable upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D
Source: EFSA NDA scientific opinion, EFSA Journal 2023;21(7):8145 (DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8145), 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 NDA jurisdiction on the upper intake limit for vitamin D — directly relevant to pet-food formulation, since vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient with a narrow safety margin in dogs and cats (hypercalcaemia is the critical adverse effect). Read with the efsa nutrient endpoints and AAFCO/FEDIAF vitamin D maxima.
Key findings (paraphrase; numbers and proper nouns verbatim from source)
- The UL for vitamin D is 100 μg/day for adults, including pregnant and lactating women, covering intake from all food sources including supplements.
- The UL is 50 μg/day for children up to 10 years, set because of their smaller body size.
- For infants, the UL of 25 μg/day (up to 6 months) was retained and a UL of 35 μg/day (6–12 months) was set.
- The UL for adolescents aged 11–17 years is 100 μg VDE/day.
- The UL for all population groups except infants derives from a NOAEL of 250 μg/day for hypercalcaemia in adults.
Pet-food relevance
Vitamin D is routinely added to dog and cat foods; the adult UL of 100 μg/day and the hypercalcaemia NOAEL of 250 μg/day frame the upper-bound safety thinking. Pet-formulation limits (AAFCO/FEDIAF) should be cross-referenced for species-specific maxima.
Scope note / honest gap
Paraphrase of an EFSA opinion; full intake modelling is not reproduced. Source XML licence tag was CC-BY-ND, so this topic quotes only data points verbatim and rewrites prose.