2. Regulation and policies
Regulations of taurine use in people, pet, or animal feeds varies widely depending on the country under consideration. In the European Union the Observed Safe Level (OSL) is estimated to be 100 mg taurine per kg body weight per day for people, and synthetic taurine is considered efficacious in cats, dogs, and carnivorous fish diets (EFSA, 2012). In China taurine is authorized for fish feed in all species, and listed as a nutrition enhancer for children (GB-2760-2011 Food Safety National Standards for the Usage of Food Additives) and maximum permissible values are given for some human food items such as jelly, milk, and energy drinks (GB14880-2012 Food Safety National Standards for the Usage of Nutrition Enrichment). In Japan taurine is listed among “substances designated as having no potential to cause damage to human health” (Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare). It is also designated as a feed additive which can be used in fish and other livestock, although quantities are not regulated (Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center). Finally, in Australia, feed supplements whose purpose is to ingredients supplying a nutrient required by the livestock do not require registration (Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority, APVMA). As such, the use of the use of taurine is allowed without registration, for as long as the dose is limited to meeting the nutritional requirement. If included beyond this point, it is considered a veterinary chemical and thus requires registration to the APVMA. In the USA however, taurine is not listed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food substance generally recognized as safe for human consumption and is considered a drug or additive (Code for Federal Regulations: 21 CFR 104.2, 21 CFR 184, and 21 CFR 186). Taurine use is permitted as a nutritional supplement in chicken feeds up to 0.054% of the feed – no other farmed animal is listed in the FDA regulation (21 CFR 573.980). Thus, the current use of taurine as an additive in commercial fish and shrimp feeds is not permitted in the USA unless it is added indirectly via ingredients such as fishmeal or krill meal, which naturally contain taurine. Alternatively, a “self-affirmation” procedure may be filed to the FDA, where an individual feed manufacturer gathers evidence supporting the use of taurine in feeds. However a successful request would only be valid for the petitioner, and would not be extended nation-wide.