Research by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The Vegetarian Resource Group received comments from two readers regarding xanthan gum in Annie’s salad dressings. Our readers reported that several of Annie’s dressings contain xanthan gum made using an enzyme from chicken eggs.

Annie’s told one reader:
“For Annie’s dressings where an animal enzyme is used to make the xanthan gum, the enzyme is derived from chicken. We do not make a vegan claim on these dressings for this reason. The dressings that contain xanthan gum made from chicken enzymes are:
1. Asian Sesame Dressing – Organic 8 oz.
2. Chile Lime Vinaigrette – Organic 8 oz.
3. Oil & Vinegar – Organic 8 oz.
4. Red Wine & Olive Oil Vinaigrette – Organic 8 oz.
5. Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette – Organic 8 oz.
6. Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette 8 oz.
7. Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette – Organic 8 oz.
8. Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette 16 oz.”

Annie’s also said, “We chose to change our xanthan gum so that we could meet the Non-GMO Projects Standards.”

In addition, Annie’s relayed: “Our dressings contain several types of xanthan gums that have different functionality based on the type of dressing. During the making of xanthan gum, an enzyme is used. Some xanthan gums use a vegetable enzyme, and some use an animal enzyme. While the enzyme is no longer present in the final product, we only label our dressings “vegan” if all ingredients, including the xanthan gum processing enzyme, come from non-animal sources.”

“For Annie’s Dressings where an animal enzyme is used to make the xanthan gum, the enzyme comes from a chicken egg. We do not make a vegan claim on these dressings for this reason.”

Because xanthan gum is usually considered vegan, we were curious to find out more about Annie’s xanthan gum, seemingly made with a chicken egg enzyme. (It appears that the enzyme is from the egg, not from a chicken that has hatched.) From a multitude of inquiries, rephrasing of questions, putting together responses we and our readers received, and talking to a food scientist knowledgeable about xanthan gum, this is information we pieced together.

When using the filter tool for “vegan” on Annie’s website, we generated the following list of salad dressings, which all were labeled as vegan, contained xanthan gum, and were non-GMO certified: Poppy Papaya Seed, Green Garlic, Goddess, French, Lemon Chive Vinaigrette, Lite Goddess, and Tuscany Italian. Other dressings that are not identified as vegan also contain xanthan gum and are non-GMO certified. This seems consistent with Annie’s statement that “Our dressings contain several types of xanthan gums that have different functionality based on the type of dressing. … Some xanthan gums use a vegetable enzyme, and some use an animal enzyme.”

According to a knowledgeable food scientist, xanthan gum is used in salad dressing to:

•    add viscosity so that when you stop shaking the bottle, the dressing thickens and when you shake it, the dressing thins.
•    help it “cling” to the salad.
•    promote enhanced mouthfeel
•    suspend spices.

Production of xanthan gum does not require the use of enzymes. Enzymes are used to make the purification process more efficient. The enzymes used to produce xanthan gum (called proteases and lysozymes) originally came from dairy but today are commonly from bacterial, fungal, or plant sources. As processing aids, enzymes are not in finished food products except possibly in very small (i.e., residual) amounts.

Several companies told us that xanthan gum is not commercially manufactured today from egg whites as a starting material. Even considering what we were told by Annie’s, this statement is still true.

Those companies also told us that egg enzymes aren’t used as processing aids.

However, if what Annie’s is saying is happening, at least one company is using egg enzymes as a processing aid in the manufacture of xanthan gum. If a reader can locate this company, please let us know.

GMO
“GMO” is an abbreviation for genetically modified organism. This means that genetic material from one organism was inserted into that of another. After replication, the receiving organism expresses the new genetic information in appearance or in the production of a certain desired substance. In this case, it would be xanthan gum.

The Non-GMO Project, which certifies products with its non-GMO Project Standard told us: “If there were GMO material in either the microbes or the corn, but in the finished product the xanthan gum made up less than 0.9% of the product, by weight percentage, the ingredient could be “micro-exempted”, and the product would also be compliant with the Standard.”

A food scientist told us: A manufacturer would rarely use xanthan gum at 0.9% or above. From a product development perspective, xanthan gum is typically used in most products, not just salad dressings, at 0.5% or less due to its high viscosity.

ALLERGY LABELING
Annie’s does not claim on its labels that any of its salad dressings discussed in this article contains an egg ingredient. Such a statement is required under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) if an egg ingredient is present in the final product, because egg is considered a major allergen. See: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-allergensgluten-free-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/food-allergen-labeling-and-consumer-protection-act-2004-falcpa

Some food companies will alert consumers to the fact that a major allergen was involved in the manufacturing process – and possibly present, if at all, only residually in the final product – by stating it on the label. Annie’s has not taken this step concerning its xanthan gum. As mentioned above, Annie’s has said that the enzyme from the xanthan gum processing is not in the final product.

NOTE: The VRG thanks our readers who alerted us that a food company is using xanthan gum that’s been processed with an egg enzyme even though the egg enzyme does not appear to be present in the final product.

For information about other ingredients, see: https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own. We live in an imperfect world and humans are not perfect. Do the best you can in your situation but remember that since veganism is about creating a more peaceful and healthier society, ingredient information should never be used to be discouraged about what you can do, to be critical or judgmental of others, or to justify a diet bad for your health.