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Re-evaluation of agar (E 406) as a food additive.
EFSA Journal. European Food Safety Authority
|April 20, 2026
Summary
The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated agar (E 406) as a food additive. No safety concerns were found for agar at refined exposure levels, meaning no numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) is needed.
Area of Science:
- Food science
- Toxicology
- Food additive safety
Background:
- Agar (E 406) previously had a not specified acceptable daily intake (ADI) assigned by the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) in 1989.
- Previous evaluations by SCF and JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) had limited data.
- This re-evaluation followed the conceptual framework for risk assessment of food additives under Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the safety of agar (E 406) as a food additive.
- To assess safety based on industry-reported uses and levels in specific food categories.
- To determine if a numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) is required for agar.
Main Methods:
- Safety assessment focused on 7 food categories with available data.
- Exposure assessment calculated an indicative refined exposure up to 26 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day in toddlers (95th percentile).
- Reviewed available toxicity data, including genotoxicity, carcinogenicity studies in rodents, and human tolerance studies.
Main Results:
- Agar is unlikely to be absorbed unchanged and is slightly fermented by intestinal microbiota.
- Sufficient toxicity data were available, with no genotoxicity or carcinogenic concerns.
- Human studies showed tolerance of oral agar intake (up to 64 mg/kg bw per day) without side effects.
Conclusions:
- No numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) is necessary for agar (E 406).
- No safety concerns exist for the general population at the refined exposure assessment for the reported uses of agar.
- Agar (E 406) is considered safe as a food additive under the evaluated conditions.
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