Antioxidants are commonly used in the feed and food industries to protect raw materials and final products against oxidation (rancidity). Because ethoxyquin has proven to be a highly effective antioxidant, it is widely included in preparations of vitamins and carotenoids, in premixes and compound feed, and in feed constituents, notably fishmeal.

IFFO, the marine ingredients organisation, is supportive of the continued use of ethoxyquin as an antioxidant in the stabilisation of fishmeal provided the safety of the consumer, farmed animals and the environment is secure. The position of the European Commission on the reauthorisation of ethoxyquin is unclear at the current time, but IFFO hopes that there will be an allowance for time for the knowledge gaps to be addressed through targeted science, and that those results come out in favour of the continued use of ethoxyquin.

The full position paper is available here.