Carboxymethylcellulose (cellulose gum)

Also known as: cellulose gum, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, CMC, E466

Moderate concernunder our published method

By NordicScan Evidence Engine · generated from structured evidence records · source spans verified by automated gates · Reviewed 2026-07-08 · Evidence snapshot geo-wave1-evidence-snapshot-2026-07-08 · Scoring engine det_v3 · how we score.

What it is

Carboxymethylcellulose, often labelled cellulose gum, is a cellulose-derived thickener and stabiliser used in many packaged foods.

Why people ask

People ask because the same ingredient can appear under the chemical name, cellulose-gum name, or E-number.

What our method flags — by use

Food · EU food-additive identity scope

For general food use, our method rates cellulose gum as moderate-concern: it stays a listed additive for most categories, while the EU acted on the infant/young-child categories in 2025.

Authority / source	Finding (our paraphrase)	Evidence tier	Date	Link
European Union / EUR-Lex	A product contains carboxymethylcellulose/cellulose gum as a label-visible food additive identity; the EU additive regulation requires additive name and/or E-number labelling for food additives sold as such.	nutrition / --	2008-12-16	source

Evidence coverage for this use: Limited (computed from source count × authority tier × recency; signals depth, does not change the concern band).

Food · EU foods for infants and young children

For EU infant and young-child food categories, our method rates cellulose gum as moderate-concern: the EU removed E 466 from those categories in 2025.

Authority / source	Finding (our paraphrase)	Evidence tier	Date	Link
European Union / EUR-Lex	The EU restricted by Regulation (EU) 2025/666 cellulose gum (E 466) in foods for infants and young children — the entry is deleted from food categories 13.1.5.1 and 13.1.5.2.	authority_regulatory / --	2025-04-07	source

Evidence coverage for this use: Limited (computed from source count × authority tier × recency; signals depth, does not change the concern band).

How this moves a product’s score

On a product's score, cellulose gum contributes a moderate concern signal, weighted higher for products in EU infant and young-child categories, where the EU removed the additive in 2025.

Nordic Scan provides ingredient information and a concern score under our published method, for general consumer research. It is not medical advice and not a medical device, and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or determine the safety of any product. Decide for yourself.

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Reviewed 2026-07-08 · Evidence snapshot geo-wave1-evidence-snapshot-2026-07-08 · Scoring engine det_v3 · Sources checked 2026-07-08 · See how we score.