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Thickener or gelling agent

E404 (calcium alginate): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E404 is calcium alginate, a thickener. E404 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

E404=seaweed

What is E404?

E404 (calcium alginate) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel.

What is E404 made from?

E404 comes from seaweed.

  • Seaweed

Is E404 vegan?

Fits you. E404 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

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

VeganFits youE404 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE404 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E404 have on a label?

On a label, E404 can also appear as “INS 404”, “Thickener (404)”, “Thickener (E404)” or “Calcium alginate”.

Any of these on a pack means E404. The checker reads them all.

E404E 404E-404INS 404Thickener (404)Thickener (E404)Calcium alginate

What would change the answer for E404?

For E404, 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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