What is it?
Gellan gum is made by feeding sugar to a bacterium, Sphingomonas elodea, and purifying the long carbohydrate chains it produces. It comes in two forms: one gives soft, stretchy gels and the other gives firm, brittle ones.
E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E418
Gellan gum
also: INS 418
A gum made by fermenting sugar with bacteria. It keeps the cocoa suspended in chocolate milk and sets jellies and sweets.
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Water, hulled soya bean (9%), sugar, tricalcium phosphate, stabiliser (gellan gum), sea salt, Vitamin D, potassium iodide, Vitamin B12, riboflavin (B2)
E418
Gellan gum
Gellan gum is made by feeding sugar to a bacterium, Sphingomonas elodea, and purifying the long carbohydrate chains it produces.
VeganVegetarian
331
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E418 in their ingredients
That is 0.8%, counted by its code or its name.
Only 4.8% of these labels print “E418”. Most use the name: look for “gellan gum”.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
How common it is in UK food, by aisle
- Yoghurt, milk and dairy149 products6.6% of 2,273
- Cakes, biscuits and desserts47 products1.3% of 3,715
- Soft drinks and juices39 products1.5% of 2,627
- Chocolate and sweets22 products1.1% of 2,045
What gellan gum is, what it does and where you will see it
What does it do?
It dissolves in hot water and sets or thickens as it cools. In small amounts it keeps bits suspended, such as cocoa in chocolate milk. In larger amounts it sets into a firm gel. It copes with heat and with acid, so it suits food that is heat-treated or kept on the shelf for a long time.
Where you will see it
Plant milks (oat, almond and soya), chocolate milk drinks, jelly sweets, sauces, salad dressings, flavoured waters, food supplements and some yoghurts. Labels call it gellan gum or E418.
What the science says
It passes through the gut untouched
The gut does not break down or absorb gellan gum, so it passes through without reaching the blood. Unlike many other gums, gut bacteria barely ferment it either. A study in people who had 200mg per kg of body weight a day for three weeks found no ill effects.
Gellan gum is not absorbed whole in the human gut, and studies show gut bacteria barely ferment it.
2018Regulator reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS), re-evaluation opinion
People given 200mg per kg of body weight a day for three weeks showed no ill effects.
2018Study in peopleEFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418)
No sign of DNA damage or cancer
European reviewers found no sign that it damages DNA or causes cancer, looking at gene tests and long-term animal studies.
Across all the evidence reviewed, reviewers found no sign of DNA damage or cancer.
2018Regulator reviewEFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418)
Reviewers asked for tighter purity rules
The 2018 review found gaps in the official purity rules. They did not set a limit for PHB, a natural substance the bacteria make, and the limits for traces of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) needed updating. These are about how it is made, not about the gum in food.
Reviewers said the purity rules should set a limit for PHB and update the limits for toxic metals, but did not raise these as a risk to shoppers at current use.
2018Regulator reviewEFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418)
Where it stands with the regulators
Approved in the UK and the EU
Daily limit. None set (European reviewers 2018, international committee).
- Legal basis
- On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for Great Britain. The international committee also lists it, with no daily limit set.
- Permitted foods
- Plant milks · Yoghurts and fermented milks · Sweets · Sauces and salad dressings · Flavoured drinks and waters · Food supplements · Jams and similar spreads, up to 10,000mg per kg
- Maximum levels
- No set maximum in most foods. 10,000mg per kg in jams and similar spreads.
- History
- First approved in the EU in the 1990s. European reviewers completed a full review in 2018 and kept it approved with no numerical daily limit. The international committee has also reviewed it and set no daily limit.
Who should be careful
No group is advised to avoid it. People with severe allergies to ingredients made by fermentation should check with their doctor, though no allergic reactions to gellan gum have been reported. Look for gellan gum or E418 on the label.
The honest read
Gellan gum has been in wide use for decades and has been reviewed several times by international regulators. The research consistently shows it passes through the body without being absorbed or much fermented. The 2018 European review looked at all the evidence and found nothing calling for a numerical daily limit.
Common questions about gellan gum
Is E418 banned in the UK?
No. Gellan gum is allowed in the UK and is on the Food Standards Agency's list of approved additives.
Does gellan gum affect gut health or digestion?
Current evidence suggests it is not absorbed and not much fermented by gut bacteria, so it passes through without being broken down. No digestive ill effects were reported in the studies in people that European reviewers looked at.
What foods contain E418?
Mostly plant milks (oat, almond and soya), chocolate milk drinks, jelly sweets, sauces, flavoured waters and food supplements. Labels call it gellan gum or E418.
Is E418 vegan?
Yes. It is made by fermenting plant sugars with bacteria, with nothing from animals.
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