Supplement Analyzer

What the label has to state

In the EU, feed labelling is governed by Regulation (EC) No 767/2009, above all Articles 11 to 17 and its annexes. For compound feed, which includes complementary and mineral feed for horses, four blocks are mandatory: the type of feed, the composition, the analytical constituents and the additives. These are joined by, among other things, the directions for use, the animal species and the batch number.

The composition lists the feed materials in descending order by weight. The analytical constituents give crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and crude ash, and for mineral feed also calcium, phosphorus, sodium and magnesium, each as a percentage.

For recalculation the third block is usually the decisive one. Additives are listed with their name, their identification number from the EU register (compounds of trace elements start with 3b) and the amount added per kilogram of feed.

Complete, complementary, mineral or dietetic feed

The type of feed determines how the figures are to be read. A complete feed covers the daily requirement by virtue of its composition. A complementary feed contains certain substances in higher concentration and covers the daily requirement only together with other feed. A mineral feed is a complementary feed with at least 40 percent crude ash.

Because complementary feed makes up only part of the ration, it may contain additives at much higher concentrations than a complete feed, up to one hundred times the fixed maximum content (Art. 8 Reg. 767/2009). The directions for use must then be set so that the daily ration stays within the maximum content.

Dietetic feed forms a separate group. It may state a particular nutritional purpose, but only one listed in Regulation (EU) 2020/354, and only under the conditions laid down there.

From content per kilogram to daily intake

The calculation itself is simple: content per kilogram times daily amount in kilograms gives the intake per day. If a mineral feed states zinc 4,000 mg per kg and the directions for use give 100 grams a day, that is 0.1 kg times 4,000 mg, or 400 mg of zinc per day.

The Supplement Analyzer scales the stored study and reference ranges to the weight entered and classifies the daily amount: below the reference range, within it, above it, or above the guideline upper limit. Where the literature gives a dose only per ration, for example per kilogram of dry matter, there is no comparable daily range.

The upper limits come from two directions. Additive law, meaning Reg. (EC) 1831/2003 and the implementing regulations for the individual substances, sets maximum contents per kilogram of complete feed with 12 percent moisture. NRC 2007 gives maximum tolerable levels, likewise related to the total ration. Both apply to the whole daily ration: hay, concentrate and every further complementary feed together.

Common pitfalls when reading a label

Element or compound. 10 grams of magnesium oxide are not 10 grams of magnesium but roughly 6 grams. For additives the amount is usually given as the element, whereas the composition names the compound. The comparison is always made on the element.

Units. Milligrams, grams and micrograms are each a factor of 1,000 apart. Vitamins are often given in International Units (IU); these cannot be converted to milligrams across the board, because the factor depends on the chemical form. The Supplement Analyzer therefore compares only figures in mg and g.

Basis. Label values refer to the feed as sold, that is to the fresh weight; studies and NRC often calculate on dry matter. And some directions for use give the amount per 100 kilograms of body weight. For 600 kilograms, six times that amount has to be entered.

FEI status and the line to veterinary medicines

The FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List distinguishes banned substances from controlled medication with detection times. Plant ingredients can contain listed substances, such as capsaicin from chilli or salicylic acid from willow bark. The Supplement Analyzer shows the FEI status of the selected compounds; the current FEI list remains authoritative.

Under Article 13 of Reg. 767/2009 a feed may not advertise any reference to disease. A product intended to prevent or treat disease, or one with a pharmacological action, is a veterinary medicinal product and falls under Reg. (EU) 2019/6, and in Germany and Austria additionally under the respective national veterinary medicines act (TAMG).

What the classification does and does not do

The Supplement Analyzer classifies the declaration arithmetically. It shows whether the stated amounts, at a given body weight, fall within a range described in the literature. It says nothing about whether a substance has any effect in an individual horse, and it does not replace a laboratory analysis: whether the product contains what the label says can only be shown by testing the batch.

Next to each compound sits the Equiterna Score. It rates the state of the evidence, meaning study quality, practical experience and safety profile, and neither the product nor the horse. If an amount lies above the guideline upper limit, the total ration belongs with the vet or a nutrition adviser.

• VO (EG) 767/2009 — Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, OJ L 229, 1.9.2009
• VO (EG) 1831/2003 — Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition, OJ L 268, 18.10.2003
• VO (EU) 2020/354 — Regulation (EU) 2020/354 establishing a list of intended uses of feed intended for particular nutritional purposes
• NRC 2007 — Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th revised edition, National Research Council
• FEI EPSL — FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List, updated annually, Fédération Equestre Internationale