Analysis of EU Feed Additive Approvals from 2020 to 2025

According to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 (Feed Additives Regulation), feed additives refer to substances, microorganisms, or preparations – other than feed materials and premixes – that are intentionally added to feed or water to perform one or more functions. The EU has established a positive list of feed additives. To market a new feed additive not included in the positive list, an application for authorization must first be submitted to the EU authorities. Each authorization is valid for ten years and may be renewed for an additional ten years.

Based on a search of the EU legal database (EUR-Lex), more than 900 regulations concerning feed additive authorizations have been issued since the publication of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, starting in 2005. For this analysis, CIRS has reviewed 420 regulations issued between 2020 and October 31, 2025, covering a total of 677 authorized feed additives (multiple additives authorized under the same regulation were counted separately). The analysis is conducted from several perspectives to provide insights for enterprises.

Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by year)

Figure 1. Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by year)

Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by additive category)

Figure2. Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by additive category)

Table 1. Number of EU Feed Additive Approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by Functional Group under Additive Categories)

Additive Category	Functional Group	Quantity
Sensory additives	Flavouring compounds	274
Sensory additives	Colourants	16
Zootechnical additives	Digestibility enhancers	57
	Gut flora stabilizers	50
	Substances beneficial to the environment (reducing intestinal methane production)	1
	Physiological condition stabilizers (improving stress tolerance in dogs)	1
	Other zootechnical additives Note: Total of all other zootechnical additives, including those improving zootechnical performance, growth promoters, enhancers of intestinal conditions, reducers of environmental contamination by Salmonella in poultry, reducers of infective nematode larvae on pastures, reducers of urine pH, reducers of urinary phosphorus excretion, enhancers of feed conversion rate, enhancers of laying performance, etc.	50
Technological additives	Silage additives	67
	Preservatives	24
	Emulsifiers	7
	Acidity regulators	5
	Antioxidants	4
	Binders	4
	Anti-caking agents	2
	Hygiene condition enhancers	2
	Substances used to reduce mycotoxin (e.g., fumonisin) contamination in feed	2
	Others (reducing anti-nutritional factors in soybeans)	2
Nutritional additives	Amino acids, their salts and analogues	59
	Compounds of trace elements	23
	Vitamins, provitamins, and chemically well-defined substances having similar effects	16
	Urea and its derivatives	1
Coccidiostats and histomonostats	/	10

Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by target animal species)

Figure 3. Number of EU feed additive approvals from 2020 to 2025 (by target animal species)

Note: Due to the large number of detailed categories, only commonly seen animal species are listed; see individual regulations for full details.

Example of Published Information in Authorization Regulations

Authorization regulations typically disclose the additive’s identification number, category, characterization, analytical methods, intended uses and inclusion levels, specific conditions of use, and the period of authorization. Examples are provided in Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2. Lanthanum Carbonate Octahydrate Authorized under EU Regulation 2025/313

Identification number of the feed additive	4d23
Name of the holder of the authorization	Porus GmbH
Additive	Lanthanum carbonate octahydrate
Category & Functional group	Category: zootechnical additives Functional group: other zootechnical additives (decrease in phosphorous excretion via urine)
Composition, chemical formula, description, analytical method	Additive composition Lanthanum carbonate octahydrate having at least 85 % lanthanum carbonate octahydrate as active substance. Solid form. Characterization of the active substance Lanthanum carbonate octahydrate La2(CO3)38H2O CAS number 6487-39-4 Analytical method* For the quantification of carbonate in the feed additive: EU method Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009). For the quantification of lanthanum in the feed additive and compound feed: Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES)
Species or category of animal	Dogs
Maximum age	/
Usage level	Minimum content: 1500 Maximum content: 1700 mg/kg of complete feed with 12% moisture content
Other provisions	1. In the directions for use of the additive and premixtures, the storage conditions and stability to heat treatment shall be indicated. 2. The additive shall only be fed to adult dogs. 3. In the directions for use of the additive, the following shall be indicated: ‘For adult dogs. Avoid simultaneous use of feeds with a high level of phosphorus’. 4. For users of the additive and premixtures, feed business operators shall establish operational procedures and organizational measures to address potential risks resulting from their use. Where those risks cannot be eliminated by such procedures and measures, the additives and premixtures must be used with personal breathing protective equipment.
End of the period of authorization	March 10, 2035

Table 3. L-Valine Produced by Genetically Modified Escherichia coli CGMCC 22721 Authorized under EU Regulation 2025/756

Identification number of the feed additive	3c374
Name of the holder of the authorization
Additive	L-valine
Category & Functional group	Category: nutritional additives Functional group: amino acids, their salts and analogues
Composition, chemical formula, description, analytical method	Additive composition L-valine with a minimum content of 98 % (on a dry matter basis). Solid form Characterization of the active substance L-valine ((2S)-2-amino-3-methylbutanoic acid) produced with Escherichia coli CGMCC 22721 Chemical formula: C5H11NO2 CAS number: 72-18-4 Analytical method For the identification of L-valine in the feed additive: — Food Chemical Codex ‘L-valine monograph’ For the determination of valine in the feed additive: — Ion-exchange chromatography coupled with post-column derivatization and optical detection (IEC-VIS) For the determination of valine in premixtures and compound feed: — Ion-exchange chromatography coupled with post-column derivatization and optical detection (IEC-VIS) – Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 For the determination of valine in water: — Ion-exchange chromatography coupled with post-column derivatization and optical detection (IEC-VIS or IEC-VIS/FLD)
Species or category of animal	All animal species
Maximum age	/
Usage level	Minimum content: / Maximum content: / mg/kg of complete feed with 12 % moisture content
Other provisions	1. In the directions for use of the additive and premixtures, the storage conditions, the stability to heat treatment and in water must be indicated. 2. The additive may be used via water for drinking. 3. Feed business operators shall ensure that L-valine is rumen protected, when fed to ruminants. 4. The moisture content shall be indicated on the label of the additive. 5. The label of the additive and premixtures shall indicate the following: —‘The supplementation with L-valine, in particular via water for drinking, shall take into account all essential and conditionally essential amino acids in order to avoid imbalances.’ 6. For users of the additive and premixtures, feed business operators must establish operational procedures and organizational measures to address potential risks resulting from their use. Where those risks cannot be eliminated by such procedures and measures, the additives and premixtures must be used with personal skin, eye and breathing protective equipment.
End of the period of authorization	May 12, 2035

About the CIRS Food Business Team

Established in 2012, the CIRS Food Business Unit has assisted more than 1,000 Chinese and international food and feed enterprises in completing comprehensive “one-stop” compliance services. With strong technical expertise, extensive resources, and a global service network, we provide:

New food ingredient applications (including new food raw materials, new food additives, and new food-related products, including those developed through synthetic biology);
U.S. GRAS notice;
EU Novel Food applications;
China new feed and feed additive applications;
U.S. Animal Food GRAS submissions; and
EU Feed Additive authorization applications.

We help clients achieve regulatory compliance, secure rapid market access, and enhance competitiveness.

If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with us via service@cirs-group.com.

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