As part of its Animal Production and Health Papers series, FAO has just published “Probiotics in animal nutrition – Production, impact and regulation”, by Y.S. Bajagai, A.V. Klieve, P.J. Dart and W.L. Bryden, edited by H.P.S. Makkar. The 89-page report presents a unique and exhaustive review of the state of knowledge regarding the use of probiotics in various animal production systems and their impact on animal productivity. It focuses specifically on definitions, production, mechanisms of action, applications in diverse animal production systems, effects, safety and potential public health risks of probiotics. It also covers labelling of probiotic products and the global regulatory status of probiotics in animal feed. See http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5933e.pdf (770 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.