Date: 2025-09-10Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1784 of 9 September 2025 concerning the authorisation of capsaicin as a feed additive for all animal species
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Executive Summary:
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1784 authorises capsaicin as a sensory feed additive (flavouring compound) for all animal species. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded capsaicin is safe for animals, consumers, and the environment, but poses a risk as a respiratory, skin, and presumed eye irritant to users. The authorisation is valid until 30 September 2035, subject to specific conditions.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Authorisation:** Capsaicin is authorised as a feed additive for all animal species.
* **Category and Function:** The additive belongs to the category of sensory additives and the functional group of flavouring compounds.
* **Safety:** Capsaicin is considered safe for animals, consumers, and the environment under the proposed conditions of use.
* **Hazards:** Capsaicin is a respiratory and skin irritant and is assumed to be an eye irritant.
* **Maximum Content:** A maximum content of capsaicin in feed is established to prevent zootechnical or medicinal effects on animals.
* **Protective Measures:** Appropriate protective measures must be taken to prevent adverse health effects on users of the additive.
* **Premixtures:** The additive shall be incorporated into the feed in the form of a premixture.
* **Labelling:** The directions for use of the additive and premixtures shall indicate the storage conditions and stability to heat treatment.
* **Operational Procedures:** Feed business operators must establish operational procedures and organisational measures to address potential user risks.
* **Personal Protective Equipment:** If risks cannot be eliminated through procedures, personal skin, eye, and breathing protective equipment must be used.
* **End of Authorisation:** The authorisation is valid until 30 September 2035.
* **Analytical Method:** High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to spectrophotometric detection (HPLC-UV) is the specified analytical method.
Impact Analysis:
* **Animal Feed Producers:**
* Impact: Can now legally use capsaicin as a feed additive within the specified limits and conditions.
* Action Required: Incorporate capsaicin in the form of a premixture, adhere to maximum content limits, provide appropriate labelling information, and implement user safety protocols.
* **Feed Business Operators (including premixture manufacturers):**
* Impact: Responsible for the safe handling and use of capsaicin.
* Action Required: Establish operational procedures and organisational measures to mitigate risks to users, including the potential need for personal protective equipment.
* **Livestock Farmers:**
* Impact: Can use feed containing capsaicin for all animal species.
* Action Required: Follow the directions for use provided by feed producers and be aware of potential effects on animals.
* **Regulatory Authorities:**
* Impact: Responsible for enforcing the regulation and monitoring compliance.
* Action Required: Ensure feed producers and operators adhere to the specified conditions of use, including maximum content limits and user safety protocols.
* **Users of the additive and premixtures:**
* Impact: Potential exposure to irritant.
* Action Required: Follow operational procedures and organisational measures to address potential risks. If risks cannot be eliminated through procedures, use additive and premixtures with personal skin, eye, and breathing protective equipment.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union: A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.
European Commission: The executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the EU's day-to-day operations.
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003: A regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on additives for use in animal nutrition.
European Food Safety Authority: An agency of the European Union that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain.
capsaicin: A feed additive for all animal species, classified as a sensory additive and in the functional group flavouring compounds.
Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed: A committee that provides opinions on measures related to plant health, animal health, food safety, and animal feed.
Ursula VON DER LEYEN: The President of the European Commission.
Brussels: The de facto capital city of the European Union, located in Belgium, where the regulation was adopted.
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2025/1784 10.9.2025
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION(EU) 2025/1784
of 9 September 2025
concerning the authorisation of capsaicin as a feed additive for all animal species
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on
additives for use in animal nutrition(1), and in particular Article 9(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition and for the
grounds and procedures for granting such an authorisation.
(2) In accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, an application was submitted for the authorisation of
capsaicin. That application was accompanied by the particulars and documents required under Article 7(3) of
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
(3) The application concerns the authorisation of capsaicin as a feed additive for all animal species, requesting that
additive to be classified in the category ‘sensory additives’ and in the functional group ‘flavouring compounds’.
(4) The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) concluded in its opinion of 18 March 2025(2)that, under the
proposed conditions of use, capsaicin is safe for all animal species, consumers and the environment. It also
concluded that capsaicin is a respiratory and skin irritant and is assumed to be an eye irritant. Capsaicin is not
dermal sensitiser. Finally, any exposure to capsaicin to users is considered a risk. The Authority further concluded
that since capsaicin is recognised to flavour food and its function in feed would be essentially the same as that in
food, no further demonstration of its efficacy is considered necessary. The Authority did not consider that there is a
need for specific requirements of post-market monitoring. The Authority also verified the report on the method of
analysis of the feed additive in feed submitted by the Reference Laboratory set up by Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
(5) In view of the above, the Commission considers that capsaicin satisfies the conditions, as provided for in Article 5 of
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. Accordingly, the use of that additive should be authorised for all animal species.
Capsaicin is an additive that has zootechnical and medicinal effects, such as positive effects in performance or
protection against certain pathogens. In order to prevent the use of doses of the additive which could potentially
lead to such zootechnical or medicinal effects on animals, it is necessary to establish a maximum content for
capsaicin in feed. In addition, the Commission considers that appropriate protective measures should be taken to
prevent adverse effects on the health of the users of the additive.
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
(1) OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 29, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2003/1831/oj.
(2) EFSA Journal2025; 23:e9340, https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9340.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1784/oj 1/3EN
OJ L, 10.9.2025
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Authorisation
The substance specified in the Annex, belonging to the additive category ‘sensory additives’ and to the functional group
‘flavouring compounds’, is authorised as an additive in animal nutrition, subject to the conditions laid down in that Annex.
Article 2
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 9 September 2025.
For the Commission
The President
Ursula VON DER LEYEN
2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1784/ojANNEX
Minimum Maximum
Identifica content content
Species or
tion number Composition, chemical formula, Maximum End of period of
Additive category of Other provisions
of the feed description, analytical method age mg of the active substance/kg authorisation
animal
additive of complete feedingstuff with
a moisture content of 12 %
Category: sensory additives. Functional group: flavouring compounds
2b92458 Capsaicin Additive composition Poultry 6,5 1. The additive shall be 30 September 2035
incorporated into the feed in
Capsaicin Ornamental 6,5
the form of a premixture.
Solid form birds
2. In the directions for use of the
Characterisation of the active substance Porcine 6,5 additive and premixtures, the
species storage conditions and
Capsaicin
stability to heat treatment
Produced by chemical synthesis Ruminants 6,5
shall be indicated.
Chemical formula: C H NO and camelids
18 27 3
CAS number: 404-86-4 3. For users of the additive and
Equines 6,5
FEMA number: 3404 premixtures, feed business
Purity: min. 98 % Leporids 6,5 operators shall establish
(E)-capsaicin (trans-capsaicin) to (Z)- operational procedures and
capsaicin (cis-capsaicin) (E)-/(Z)- Salmonids 6,5 organisational measures to
capsaicin ratio: ≥ 6:1 and minor address potential risks
finfish resulting from their use.
Analytical method(1) Where those risks cannot be
Ornamental 6,5
eliminated by such
For the determination of capsaicin in fish
procedures and measures, the
the feed additive, premixtures and
Dogs 6,5 additive and premixtures shall
compound feed: high performance
be used with personal skin, eye
liquid chromatography coupled to Cats 5,3 and breathing protective
spectrophotometric detection
equipment.
(HPLC-UV) Other species 5,3
and
categories
(1) Details of the analytical methods are available at the following address of the Reference Laboratory: https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/eurl-fa-eurl-feed-additives/eurl-fa-authorisation/eurl-fa-evaluation-
reports_en.
ELI:
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1784/oj
3/3
OJ
L,
10.9.2025
EN