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Thickener or gelling agent

E401 (sodium alginate): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E401 is sodium alginate, a thickener. E401 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

E401=seaweed

What is E401?

E401 (sodium alginate) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel.

What is E401 made from?

E401 comes from seaweed.

  • Seaweed

Is E401 vegan?

Fits you. E401 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

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

VeganFits youE401 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE401 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E401 have on a label?

On a label, E401 can also appear as “INS 401”, “Thickener (401)”, “Thickener (E401)” or “Sodium alginate”.

Any of these on a pack means E401. The checker reads them all.

E401E 401E-401INS 401Thickener (401)Thickener (E401)Sodium alginate

What would change the answer for E401?

For E401, 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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