E415 — Xanthan gum
E415 (Xanthan gum), a thickener, is rated "watch": fine in moderation. A widely used thickener made by bacterial fermentation. Standard in gluten-free baking, dressings, sauces, and many ready meals.
What is Xanthan gum?
A thickener produced when the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris ferments sugar. Used in salad dressings, gluten-free flour blends, sauces, ice cream, and toothpaste.
What does it do to the body?
Acts as soluble fiber in your gut. Large amounts can be laxative or cause gas. Safe at food levels; the only caution is for premature infants, where high doses in feed thickeners caused serious gut problems in the early 2010s.
What regulators say
EFSA and the FDA both treat it as a safe additive with no numerical acceptable daily intake. EFSA flagged caution for use in infants in 2017.
Risk rating: Watch
Mixed evidence or a specific concern (gut, allergy, or contested safety data). Not alarming, but worth keeping an eye on rather than eating without limit.