Ethoxyquin
Our ingredient score: 0 / 5 · Synthetic preservative · How We Score
Ethoxyquin is a synthetic antioxidant used to keep fats from going rancid. On the cat food labels we have read, it appears only in parentheses after fish meal, as in "ocean fish meal (ethoxyquin used as a preservative)". FDA treats ethoxyquin as an approved food additive for animal feed and requires a label statement such as "Ethoxyquin, a preservative," whether it is added directly or comes in through an ingredient. The amount used and remaining in a complete animal food may not exceed 150 parts per million.
Veterinary nutritionists at Tufts University name ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT as synthetic preservatives and report that no health effects from them have been scientifically documented, while consumer demand has moved nearly all pet foods to natural preservatives such as mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract. On Pettings, ethoxyquin counts toward the Avoid List. For more on how preservatives are named on a label, see Preservatives in Cat Food.
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Common Questions
Why does ethoxyquin appear in parentheses after fish meal?
FDA requires ethoxyquin to be declared even when it comes in through another ingredient, so the label names it beside the fish meal it preserves, together with a statement of what it does.
Is ethoxyquin safe for cats?
Ethoxyquin is a synthetic antioxidant that FDA approves as a food additive for animal feed. Federal rules cap it at 150 parts per million in the finished food, and the label must say it is there. Tufts veterinary nutritionists list it with BHA and BHT as a synthetic preservative. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian about its food.
Source: fda.gov
What is ethoxyquin in cat food?
Ethoxyquin is a synthetic antioxidant used as a preservative. It slows the oxidation of fats and of nutrients such as vitamins A and E, so the food stays fresh longer. In dry cat food it usually comes in with an ingredient, most often fish meal, rather than being added on its own.
Source: fda.gov
How much ethoxyquin is allowed in cat food?
FDA rules for animal feed, 21 CFR 573.380 and 573.400, say the amount used and left in the complete food must not exceed 150 parts per million. The label shows that ethoxyquin is present but not how much. Because it often arrives with an ingredient, the maker of the ingredient and the maker of the food both count toward that limit.
Source: fda.gov
How does ethoxyquin appear on a cat food label?
FDA requires one of two statements whenever ethoxyquin is in an animal food, even when it came in with an ingredient: "Ethoxyquin, a preservative" or "Ethoxyquin added to retard the oxidative destruction of carotene, xanthophylls, and vitamins A and E." On dry cat food it often sits in parentheses after fish meal.
Source: fda.gov
How does Pettings score ethoxyquin?
Pettings gives ethoxyquin 0 out of 5 and lists it as a synthetic preservative, the same score as BHA and BHT. It appears on 4 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.
How Foods With Ethoxyquin Compare
Ethoxyquin is on the label of 4 of the 149 dry cat foods we list.