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Thickener or gelling agent

E400 (alginic acid): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E400 is alginic acid, a thickener. E400 comes from seaweed. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E400=seaweed

What is E400?

E400 (alginic acid) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel.

What is E400 made from?

E400 comes from seaweed.

  • Seaweed

Is E400 vegan?

Fits you. E400 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE400 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE400 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E400 have on a label?

On a label, E400 can also appear as “INS 400”, “Thickener (400)”, “Thickener (E400)” or “Alginic acid”.

Any of these on a pack means E400. The checker reads them all.

E400E 400E-400INS 400Thickener (400)Thickener (E400)Alginic acid

What would change the answer for E400?

For E400, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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