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Thickener or gelling agent

E402 (potassium alginate): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E402 is potassium alginate, a thickener. E402 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

E402=seaweed

What is E402?

E402 (potassium alginate) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel.

What is E402 made from?

E402 comes from seaweed.

  • Seaweed

Is E402 vegan?

Fits you. E402 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

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

VeganFits youE402 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE402 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E402 have on a label?

On a label, E402 can also appear as “INS 402”, “Thickener (402)”, “Thickener (E402)” or “Potassium alginate”.

Any of these on a pack means E402. The checker reads them all.

E402E 402E-402INS 402Thickener (402)Thickener (E402)Potassium alginate

What would change the answer for E402?

For E402, 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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