Safety of ethyl ester of β-apo-8’-carotenoic acid as a feed additive for poultry for fattening and poultry for laying

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the additional data submitted for ethyl ester of β-apo-8-carotenic acid (β-apo-8-ester) when used as a feed additive for poultry for fattening and poultry for laying. The proposed maximum content for β-apo-8-ester of 40 mg/kg complete feed is safe for laying hens with a margin of safety of at least two. The following dietary concentrations are considered safe for the adult consumers, including the age classes adults, elderly and very elderly: 15 mg β-apo-8-ester/kg complete feed for chickens for fattening, 5 mg β-apo-8-ester/kg complete feed for laying hens and 40 mg β-apo-8-ester/kg complete feed for laying hens only intended to the production of liquid eggs which will be only used by the pasta industry for the production of egg pasta. Concerns would arise for the age classes infants, toddlers, other children and adolescents in those countries where dietary surveys showed higher consumption of egg and egg-derived products (Bulgaria, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Greece, the Czech Republic and Italy) and higher consumption of egg pasta (Bulgaria, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Latvia, Sweden and Italy) assuming that the egg pasta is manufactured with liquid eggs from laying hens treated with 40 mg β-apo-8-ester/kg complete feed.