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RG-1 Regulatory Guidance:
Chapter 4 – Labelling and guarantees

4.3 Vitamin A and Beta Carotene guarantees

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Vitamin A guarantees on feed labels account for the total vitamin A activity of the feed, and include the activity from both vitamin A and beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor). Beta-carotene is a single ingredient feed and is listed in Part II of Schedule IV of the Feeds Regulations. Therefore, only registered sources of this vitamin can be used in livestock feeds.

As requirements for beta-carotene have been well established in most livestock species, the Feed Program will allow guarantees on feed labels for minimum mg/kg of beta-carotene in addition to vitamin A guarantees.

Feeds with label guarantees for beta-carotene require registration as Category 2 (see Chapter 1) products, with the appropriate application fees. The registration will include additional requirements for the name and source of beta-carotene and the product formula. The feed label will have to indicate that the vitamin A guarantee includes vitamin A activity from beta-carotene.

For example:
Vitamin AFootnote 1 - minimum - 200,000 IU/kg
Beta-carotene - minimum - 100 mg/kg

In such cases, the following conversion factors (depending on species) will be used to determine the vitamin A activity from beta-carotene in the feed:

Feeds for:Vitamin A activity from 1 milligram of beta-carotene
Poultry 1,667 IU
Swine 149 IU
Cattle 400 IU
Sheep 681 IU
Horses 400 IU

Standard mixed feeds containing registered sources of beta-carotene may be exempted from registration as long as there is no reference by name (other than in the list of ingredients, if present) and/or guarantee to this ingredient on the label, and all other criteria for exemption from registration under the Feeds Regulations are met.

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