Ready for EFSA’s new Guidance? Build a fit for purpose feed additive dossier—from microorganism to submission

Background

Products containing microorganisms or prepared/obtained from/with microorganisms are among the most abundant feed additives. 

In September 2025, EFSA’s Scientific Committee adopted the Guidance on the characterisation of microorganisms in support of the risk assessment of products used in the food chain.  This Guidance defines the data requirements for characterising microorganisms in feed additive applications and technical dossiers are required to be fully compliant as of 1 April 2026.

Objectives of the meeting

This infosession offered practical insights into the data requirements and addressed common questions and challenges encountered when compiling information for the characterisation of microorganisms in feed additive applications.

Structure of the meeting

Following the opening plenary session where introductory presentations were shared, participants broke into three small discussion groups, the topics of which were decided based on the registrants’ interests/requests:

Break-out Group 1 |  Antimicrobial resistance and production.

Break-out Group 2 |  Fermentation-derived products, presence of viable cells and DNA.

Break-out Group 3 |  Whole genome sequence data for strain identification and GM characterisation.

The outcome of the discussion groups was presented and discussed in a final plenary session to formulate the conclusions of the meeting. 

Attendance

The infosession was attended by 107 participants, representing 12 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries. Participants came from a diverse range of sectors, including e.g. Academia, Industry, Consultancy organisations and Public institutions.

Organisational details

The event was held online on 24 June 2026 from 09:00 – 11:00 CEST. 
English was the language of the event, and no translation was provided.

Contact

Do not hesitate to contact AskEFSA for any additional information needed.