Safety and efficacy of VevoVitall® (benzoic acid) as feed additive for pigs for fattening

• Main Authors: EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP), Vasileios Bampidis, Giovanna Azimont, Maria de Lourdes Bastos, Henrik Christensen, Birgit Dusemund, Maryline Kouba, Mojca Kos Durjava, Marta López‐Alonso, Secundino López Puente, Francesca Marcon, Baltasar Mayo, Alena Pechová, Mariana Petkova, Fernando Ramos, Yolanda Sanz, Roberto Edoardo Villa, Ruud Woutersen, Andrew Chesson, Jürgen Gropp, Giovanna Martelli, Derek Renshaw, Gloria López‐Gálvez, Alberto Mantovani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-06-01
• Series: EFSA Journal
• Subjects: zootechnical additive; other zootechnical additives; VevoVitall®; benzoic acid; pigs for fattening; performance improvement
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5727

Abstract The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of VevoVitall® (benzoic acid) as a zootechnical feed additive for pigs for fattening. The additive is currently authorised for pigs for fattening with the effect of ‘urinary pH decrease’ at the minimum and maximum use of 5,000 and 10,000 mg/kg complete feed, respectively. The current application intends to support the use of the additive with the specific effect of ‘improvement of performance parameters’ at the minimum dose of 3,000 mg additive/kg complete feed, and keeping the same other conditions as for the use already authorised. The FEEDAP Panel assessed already the safety of the product when used in pigs for fattening in 2007 and 2017. The Panel confirms its former assessments that VevoVitall® used as a feed additive in pigs for fattening at the maximum level of 10,000 mg/kg is considered as safe for pigs for fattening, consumers of food derived from pigs fed the additive and the environment. VevoVitall® does not pose a risk by inhalation to users and is not a skin sensitiser but is a skin irritant and a severe eye irritant. Based on the results of three efficacy studies, the FEEDAP Panel concluded that VevoVitall® has the potential to increase the performance in pigs for fattening at the level of 3,000 mg/kg complete feed.