Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/196 of 28 January 2026 amending Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the use of carrageenan (E 407), locust bean gum (E 410), guar gum (E 412), gum arabic (acacia gum) (E 414), xanthan gum (E 415), pectins (E 440) and starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450) and Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 as regards specifications for locust bean gum (E 410), guar gum (E 412), gum arabic (acacia gum) (E 414), xanthan gum (E 415), pectins (E 440) and starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450)

Regulation (EU) 2026/196 · Regulation · 6 articles

Data as of 2026-07-04 · Compiled from an official source version. Later amendments or repeals may not be reflected; the official text prevails. · Read the official text ↗

Article 1

Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 is amended in accordance with Annex I to this Regulation.

Article 2

The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 3

1. The food additives locust bean gum (E 410), guar gum (E 412), gum arabic (acacia gum) (E 414), xanthan gum (E 415), pectins (E 440) and starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450) that have been lawfully placed on the market before 18 August 2026 may be added to food in accordance with Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 until the exhaustion of stocks. 2. Foods, to which locust bean gum (E 410), guar gum (E 412), gum arabic (acacia gum) (E 414), xanthan gum (E 415), pectins (E 440) or starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450) that have been lawfully placed on the market before 18 August 2026 are added, may be placed on the market until their date of minimum durability or ‘use-by date’. 3. Foods, not complying with provisions laid down in Annex I, that have been lawfully placed on the market before 18 August 2026 or, in the case of foods containing starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450) before 18 February 2028, may continue to be marketed until their date of minimum durability or ‘use-by’ date. 4. Foods, that have been lawfully placed on the market before 18 August 2026 belonging to food categories 13.1.1 ‘Infant formulae as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013’ and 13.1.5.1 ‘Foods for special medical purposes, as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, intended for infants’ and containing guar gum (E 412) may continue to be marketed until their date of minimum durability or ‘use-by date’. 5. Foods, that have been lawfully placed on the market before 27 April 2027 belonging to food category 13.1.5.2 ‘Foods for special medical purposes, as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, intended for infants as from four months of age and for young children’ and containing guar gum (E 412) may continue to be marketed until their date of minimum durability or ‘use-by date’.

Article 4

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 18 August 2026.

Supplementary provisions

ANNEX ISupplementary provisions

ANNEX I Part E of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 is amended as follows: (1) in category 01.10 (‘Milk-based drinks and similar products intended for young children’): (a) the entry for E 407 Carrageenan is replaced by the following: ‘E 407 Carrageenan 300 (X)’ (b) the entry for E 410 Locust bean gum is replaced by the following: ‘E 410 Locust bean gum 10 000 (X)’ (c) the entry for E 412 Guar gum is replaced by the following: ‘E 412 Guar gum 10 000 (X)’ (d) the entry for E 414 Gum arabic (acacia gum) is replaced by the following: ‘E 414 Gum arabic (acacia gum) 10 000 (X)’ (e) the entry for E 415 Xanthan gum is replaced by the following: ‘E 415 Xanthan gum 10 000 (X)’ (f) the entry for E 440 Pectins is replaced by the following: ‘E 440 Pectins 5 000 (X)’ (g) footnote (21) is deleted; (h) the new footnote (X) is inserted after footnote (44): ‘(X): If more than one of the substances E 407, E 410, E 412, E 414, E 415 and E 440 is added to a foodstuff, the maximum level established for that foodstuff for each of those substances is lowered with that relative part as is present of the other substances together in that foodstuff’; (2) in category 13.1.1 (‘Infant formulae as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013’) the entry for E 412 Guar gum is deleted; (3) in category 13.1.5.1 (‘Foods for special medical purposes, as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, intended for infants’): (a) the first sentence is replaced by the following: ‘The additives of categories 13.1.1 and 13.1.2 are applicable, except for E 412.’; (b) the entry for E 410 Locust bean gum is replaced by the following: ‘E 410 Locust bean gum 5 300 From birth onwards in products for reduction of gastro-oesophageal reflux’ (c) the entry for E 412 Guar gum is deleted; (d) the entry for E 440 Pectins is replaced by the following: ‘E 440 Pectins 4 000 From birth onwards in products used in case of gastro-intestinal disorders’ (e) the entry for E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate is replaced by the following: ‘E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate 20 000 only in infant formulae and follow-on formulae Period of application: until 18 February 2028 E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate 10 000 only in infant formulae and follow-on formulae Period of application: from 18 February 2028’ (4) in category 13.1.5.2 (‘Foods for special medical purposes, as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, intended for infants as from four months of age and for young children’): (a) the first sentence is replaced by the following: ‘The additives of categories 13.1.2 and 13.1.3 are applicable, except for E 270, E 333, E 341, E 412.’; (b) the entry for E 410 Locust bean gum is replaced by the following: ‘E 410 Locust bean gum 5 300 From birth onwards in products for reduction of gastro-oesophageal reflux’ (c) the entry for E 412 Guar gum is replaced by the following; ‘E 412 Guar gum 10 000 From birth onwards in products in liquid formulae containing hydrolysed proteins, peptides or amino acids Period of application: until 27 April 2027’ (d) the entry for E 440 Pectins is replaced by the following: ‘E 440 Pectins 4 000 From birth onwards in products used in case of gastro-intestinal disorders’ (e) the entry for E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate is replaced by the following: ‘E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate 20 000 Period of application: until 18 February 2028 E 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate 10 000 Period of application: from 18 February 2028’

ANNEX IISupplementary provisions

ANNEX II The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended as follows: (1) the entry for ‘E 410 LOCUST BEAN GUM’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 410 LOCUST BEAN GUM Synonyms Carob bean gum; Algaroba gum Definition Locust bean gum is the ground endosperm of the seeds of the strainsof carob tree, Cerationia siliqua (L.) Taub. (family Leguminosae ). The seeds are dehusked by treating the kernels with dilute sulfuric acid or with thermal mechanical treatments, elimination of the germ, followed by milling and screening of the endosperm to obtain native locust bean gum. Locust bean gum consists mainly of a high molecular weight hydrocolloidal polysaccharide, composed of galactopyranose and mannopyranose units combined through glycosidic linkages, which may be described chemically as galactomannan. Einecs 232-541-5 CAS number 9000-40-2 Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight 50 000 –3 000 000 Assay Galactomannan content not less than 75 % Description White to yellowish-white, nearly odourless powder Identification Test for galactose Passes test Test for mannose Passes test Microscopic examination Place some ground sample in an aqueous solution containing 0,5 % iodine and 1 % potassium iodide on a glass slide and examine under microscope. Locust bean gum contains long stretched tubiform cells, separated or slightly interspaced. Their brown contents are much less regularly formed than in guar gum. Guar gum shows close groups of round to pear-shaped cells. Their contents are yellow to brown Solubility Fully dispersible in hot water, insoluble in ethanol Purity Loss on drying Not more than 15 % (105 °C, 5 hours) Ash Not more than 1,2 % determined at 800 °C Protein (N × 6,25) Not more than 7 % Acid-insoluble matter Not more than 4 % Starch Not detectable by the following method: to a 1 in 10 dispersion of the sample add a few drops of iodine solution. No blue colour is produced. Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,4 mg/kg Mercury Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Ethanol and propan-2-ol Not more than 1 %, single or in combination Microbiological criteria Total plate count Not more than 5 000 cfu/g Yeast and moulds Not more than 500 cfu/g Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 1 g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age)‘ (2) the entry for ‘E 412 GUAR GUM’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 412 GUAR GUM Synonyms Gum cyamopsis; Guar flour Definition Guar gum is the ground endosperm of the seeds of strains of the guar plant, Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (L.) Taub. (family Leguminosae ). The germ and endosperm are separated via milling and sieving. The hull is removed via treatment with moist or dry, hot air and sieving. Consists mainly of a high molecular weight hydrocolloidal polysaccharide composed of galactopyranose and mannopyranose units combined through glycosidic linkages, which may be described chemically as galactomannan. The gum may be partially hydrolysed by either heat treatment, mild acid or alcaline oxidative treatment for viscosity adjustment. Einecs 232-536-0 CAS number 9000-30-0 Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight 50 000 –8 000 000 Assay Galactomannan content not less than 75 % Description A white to yellowish-white, nearly odourless powder Identification Test for galactose Passes test Test for mannose Passes test Solubility Dispersible in cold water Purity Loss on drying Not more than 15 % (105 °C, 5 hours) Ash Not more than 5,5 % determined at 800 °C Acid-insoluble matter Not more than 7 % Protein Not more than 10 % (factor N × 6,25) (Kjeldahl method) Starch Not detectable by the following method: to a 1 in 10 dispersion of the sample add a few drops of iodine solution. No blue colour is produced. Organic peroxides Not more than 0,7 meq active oxygen/kg sample Furfural Not more than 1 mg/kg Pentachlorophenol Not more than 0,01 mg/kg Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,2 mg/kg Mercury Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Microbiological criteria Total plate count Not more than 5 000 cfu/g Yeast and moulds Not more than 500 cfu/g Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 1 g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g’ (3) the entry for ‘E 414 ACACIA GUM’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 414 GUM ARABIC (ACACIA GUM) Synonyms Definition Acacia gum is a dried exudation obtained from the stems and branches of strains of Acacia senegal (L) Willdenow or closely related species of Acacia (family Leguminosae ). It consists mainly of high molecular weight polysaccharides and their calcium, magnesium and potassium salts, which on hydrolysis yield arabinose, galactose, rhamnose and glucuronic acid. Einecs 232-519-5 CAS number 9000-01-5 Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight Approximately 350 000 Assay Description Unground acacia gum occurs as white or yellowish-white spheroidal tears of varying sizes or as angular fragments and is sometimes mixed with darker fragments. It is also available in the form of white to yellowish-white flakes, granules, powder or spray-dried material. Identification Solubility 1 g dissolves in 2 ml of cold water forming a dispersion which flows readily and is acid to litmus, insoluble in ethanol. Purity Loss on drying Not more than 17 % (105 °C, 5 hours) for granular and not more than 10 % (105 °C, 4 hours) for spray-dried material Total ash Not more than 4 % Acid insoluble ash Not more than 0,5 % Acid insoluble matter Not more than 1 % Starch or dextrin Boil a 1 in 50 dispersion of the gum and cool. To 5 ml add 1 drop of iodine solution. No bluish or reddish colours are produced. Tannin To 10 ml of a 1 in 50 dispersion add about 0,1 ml of ferric chloride solution (9 g FeCl 3 .6H 2 O made up to 100 ml with water). No blackish colouration or blackish precipitate is formed. Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,05 mg/kg Mercury Not more than 0,05 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,05 mg/kg Aluminium Not more than 100 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 200 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Hydrolysis products Mannose, xylose and galacturonic acid are absent (determined by chromatography). Proteins Not more than 3,5 % Oxidases and peroxidases occurring in acacia gum naturally or as a result of processing should be inactivated during the manufacturing process of acacia gum used in foods for infants and young children. Microbiological criteria Total plate count Not more than 10 000 cfu/g Yeast and moulds Not more than 10 000 cfu/g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 5 g Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age)’ (4) the entry for ‘E 415 XANTHAN GUM’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 415 XANTHAN GUM Synonyms Definition Xanthan gum is a high molecular weight polysaccharide gum produced by a pure-culture fermentation of a carbohydrate with strains of Xanthomonas campestris , which are unequivocally identified and meet the criteria for qualification for QPS status (i.e. absence of acquired antimicrobial resistance genes), purified by recovery with ethanol or propan-2-ol, dried and milled. It contains D-glucose and D-mannose as the dominant hexose units, along with D-glucuronic acid, pyruvic acid and acetic acid, and is prepared as the sodium, potassium or calcium salt. Its dispersions in water are neutral. The final product must not show any residual enzyme activity. Einecs 234-394-2 CAS number 11138-66-2 Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight Approximately 1 000 000 Assay Yields, on dried basis, not less than 4,2 % and not more than 5 % of CO 2 corresponding to between 91 % and 108 % of xanthan gum Description Cream-coloured powder Identification Solubility Dispersible in water. Insoluble in ethanol. Purity Loss on drying Not more than 15 % (105 °C, 2,5 hours) Total ash Not more than 16 % on the anhydrous basis determined at 650 °C after drying at 105 °C for four hours Pyruvic acid Not less than 1,5 % Nitrogen Not more than 1,5 % (Kjeldahl method) Ethanol and propan-2-ol Not more than 500 mg/kg singly or in combination Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,5 mg/kg Mercury Not more than 0,05 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,3 mg/kg Microbiological criteria Total plate count Not more than 5 000 cfu/g Yeast and moulds Not more than 300 cfu/g Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 5 g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age) Xanthomonas campestris Viable cells absent in 1 g’ (5) the entry for ‘E 440 (i) PECTIN’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 440 (I) PECTIN Synonyms Definition Pectin consists mainly of the partial methyl esters of polygalacturonic acid and their ammonium, sodium, potassium and calcium salts. It is obtained by extraction in an aqueous medium of strains of appropriate edible plant material, usually citrus fruits or apples. The final product must not show any residual enzyme activity. No organic precipitant shall be used other than methanol, ethanol and propan-2-ol. Einecs 232-553-0 Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight Assay Content not less than 65 % of galacturonic acid on the ash-free and anhydrous basis after washing with acid and alcohol Description White, light yellow, light grey or light brown powder Identification Solubility Dispersible in water forming a colloidal, opalescent dispersion. Insoluble in ethanol. Purity Loss on drying Not more than 12 % (105 °C, 2 hours) Acid insoluble ash Not more than 1 % (insoluble in approximately 3N hydrochloric acid) Sulphur dioxide Not more than 50 mg/kg on the anhydrous basis Nitrogen content Not more than 1,0 % after washing with acid and ethanol Total insolubles Not more than 3 % Solvent residues Not more than 1 % of free methanol, ethanol and propan-2-ol, singly or in combination, on the volatile matter-free basis Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,3 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 1 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Mercury Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,1 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 0,5 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Aluminium Not more than 120 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 200 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Microbiological criteria Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 10 g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age)’ (6) the entry for ‘E 440 (ii) AMIDATED PECTIN’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 440 (II) AMIDATED PECTIN Synonyms Definition Amidated pectin consists mainly of the partial methyl esters and amides of polygalacturonic acid and their ammonium, sodium, potassium and calcium salts. It is obtained by extraction in an aqueous medium of appropriate strains of edible plant material, usually citrus fruits or apples and treatment with ammonia under alkaline conditions. The final product must not show any residual enzyme activity. No organic precipitant shall be used other than methanol, ethanol and propan-2-ol. Einecs Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight Assay Content not less than 65 % of galacturonic acid on the ash-free and anhydrous basis after washing with acid and alcohol Description White, light yellow, light greyish or light brownish powder Identification Solubility Dispersible in water forming a colloidal, opalescent dispersion. Insoluble in ethanol. Purity Loss on drying Not more than 12 % (105 °C, 2 hours) Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 % (insoluble in approximately 3N hydrochloric acid) Degree of amidation Not more than 25 % of total carboxyl groups Sulphur dioxide Not more than 50 mg/kg on the anhydrous basis Nitrogen content Not more than 2,5 % after washing with acid and ethanol Total insolubles: Not more than 3 % Solvent residues Not more than 1 % of methanol, ethanol and propan-2-ol, singly or in combination, on a volatile matter-free basis Arsenic Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Lead Not more than 0,3 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 1 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Mercury Not more than 0,1 mg/kg Cadmium Not more than 0,1 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 0,5 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Aluminium Not more than 120 mg/kg (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 200 mg/kg (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Microbiological criteria Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 10 g Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age)’ (7) the entry for ‘E 1450 STARCH SODIUM OCTENYL SUCCINATE’ is replaced by the following: ‘ E 1450 STARCH SODIUM OCTENYL SUCCINATE Synonyms SSOS Definition Starch sodium octenyl succinate is a modified starch. It is manufactured by treatment of a slurry of food starch with octenylsuccinic anhydride. After the appropriate extent of esterification is achieved, the modified starch is recovered by neutralisation with acid, washing with water, dewatering and drying. Einecs Chemical name Chemical formula Molecular weight Assay Description White or nearly white powder or granules or (if pregelatinised) flakes, amorphous powder or coarse particles Identification Microscopic observation Passes test (if not pregelatinised) Iodine staining Passes test (dark blue to light red colour) Purity Loss on drying Not more than 15,0 % for cereal starch Not more than 21,0 % for potato starch Not more than 18,0 % for other starches Octenylsuccinyl groups Not more than 3 % (on an anhydrous basis) Octenylsuccinic acid residue Not more than 0,3 % (on an anhydrous basis) Sulphur dioxide Not more than 10 mg/kg on the anhydrous basis Arsenic Not more than 0,05 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 0,1 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Lead Not more than 0,03 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 0,2 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Mercury Not more than 0,05 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) Cadmium Not more than 0,01 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (only if added to foods for infants and young children) Not more than 0,1 mg/kg (on an anhydrous basis) (for all uses except for foods intended for infants and young children) Gluten Gluten free, only in infant formula and follow-on formula, in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 ( *1 ) Microbiological criteria Enterobacteriaceae Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Escherichia coli Absent in 10 g (only if added to foods for infants) Salmonella spp. Absent in 25 g (only if added to dried infant formulae, dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age and dried follow-on formulae) Cronobacter spp. ( Enterobacter sakazakii ) Absent in 10 g (only if added to dried infant formulae and dried foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age)

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