Ingredient Index

Is Carbadox banned in Europe?

Banned in EU

Yes: the EU banned carbadox, an antibiotic-like growth drug for pigs, back in 1999 over cancer concerns. The US still allows it in swine, though the FDA has moved to withdraw it.

CAS: 6804-07-5 Also seen as: Carbadox, Mecadox

What the EU does

Banned for decades. Carbadox is a quinoxaline drug given to young pigs to control bacterial infections like swine dysentery and to promote growth. The EU prohibited its use in food-producing animals in 1999, because a carcinogenic metabolite can persist in the meat and no safe residue level could be assured. Canada and Australia reached the same conclusion.

The mechanism of the concern matters: the worry is not the treated pig but the person eating the pork, since a residue linked to cancer can remain in edible tissue. Faced with that, the EU removed the drug from the food chain entirely rather than try to manage the residue.

Citation EU prohibition of carbadox as a feed additive (1999); withdrawal under the EU feed-additive framework (later Reg (EC) No 1831/2003)

What the US does

Still permitted, but under active FDA challenge. Carbadox has been approved for swine in the US for decades and is still used in the pork industry. In November 2023 the FDA moved to withdraw approval, stating there is no longer a validated method to ensure the carcinogenic residue of concern stays out of pork. That withdrawal process has been slow and contested by the drug's maker and by pork producers.

So as of 2026, the same drug the EU removed from food animals a quarter-century ago can still legally be used on US pigs while the regulatory fight plays out. It is one of the sharper and longer-standing US-versus-EU gaps on the animal-drug side of the food supply.

Citation FDA proposal to withdraw approval of carbadox (Federal Register, Nov 2023); 21 CFR 558.115

Products that commonly contain it

Carbadox is a veterinary drug used in pig production, so it is a potential residue in:

Conventionally raised US pork
Processed pork products from conventional supply chains

What to look for on a label

Nothing on a pork label names it, so the cues are about the supply chain:

Certified organic pork prohibits carbadox and other such drugs
"Raised without antibiotics" or "no antibiotics ever" pork avoids it
Imported EU pork comes from a system that banned it in 1999

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Frequently asked questions

Is carbadox banned in Europe?

Yes. The EU prohibited it in food-producing animals in 1999 because a carcinogenic residue can remain in the meat.

Is carbadox still used in US pork?

Yes, though its future is uncertain. The FDA moved in 2023 to withdraw approval over the same residue concern, but the drug remains in use while that process continues.

How do I avoid it?

Choose certified organic or "raised without antibiotics" pork, or EU-sourced pork, all of which exclude carbadox.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed July 27, 2026 · How we assign statuses