Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose and other celluloses as food additives
What it found
The authors found no safety concern for celluloses, including sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, at reported use levels.
They concluded no numerical acceptable daily intake is needed.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Not absorbed
Celluloses are not absorbed and leave the body intact in faeces. Some types can be fermented by gut bacteria in animals and people.
Low acute toxicity
The acute toxicity of celluloses was low and there was no genotoxic concern.
Short-term animal studies
Short-term and subchronic dietary studies in animals with several celluloses at levels up to 10% did not show specific treatment related adverse effects.
Chronic animal studies
In chronic toxicity studies in animals, no observed adverse effect levels ranged up to 9,000 mg/kg body weight per day. No carcinogenic properties were detected for microcrystalline cellulose and modified celluloses.
Reproduction and development
Adverse effects on reproductive performance or development were not observed with celluloses at doses greater than 1,000 mg/kg body weight by gavage, often the highest dose tested.
Other findings
Exposure estimate
The combined exposure to celluloses at the 95th percentile for the general population was up to 506 mg/kg body weight per day. An indicative total exposure of around 660-900 mg/kg body weight per day was considered for microcrystalline, powdered and modified celluloses.
What the authors conclude
“The Panel concluded that there was no need for a numerical ADI and that there would be no safety concern at the reported uses and use levels for the unmodified and modified celluloses (E 460(i); E 460(ii); E 461-466; E 468 and E 469).”
Also in their conclusions
- They concluded that there was no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake.
- They stated that there would be no safety concern at the reported uses and use levels for the unmodified and modified celluloses.
How it was done
The European Commission asked the EFSA panel to re-evaluate the safety of these celluloses as food additives.
They looked at toxicity studies in animals and people, including short-term, subchronic and chronic studies, and estimated how much people are exposed to from food.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This paper cannot show what happens with long-term use in people beyond the studies reviewed.
- It cannot show effects for all celluloses or all health endpoints because specific toxicity data were not always available.
The paper
- Title
- Re-evaluation of celluloses E 460(i), E 460(ii), E 461, E 462, E 463, E 464, E 465, E 466, E 468 and E 469 as food additives
- Type
- Scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS), Younes M, Aggett P, et al (2018). Re-evaluation of celluloses E 460(i), E 460(ii), E 461, E 462, E 463, E 464, E 465, E 466, E 468 and E 469 as food additives. EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5047Free full textPubMed 32625652DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error