Food Gums on 6 Scanned Labels: From Five Thickeners to Zero

Food gums are thickeners and stabilizers that keep foods creamy and stop them from separating. In the US, guar, locust (carob) bean, acacia and cellulose gum are GRAS substances, xanthan and carrageenan are approved food additives, and EFSA has re-evaluated all seven gums covered here. Across six scanned labels, the count runs from five gums and thickeners down to zero. Individual tolerance varies, because these fibers are fermented by gut bacteria rather than digested.

Key takeaways:

• Food gums come from seeds (guar, locust/carob bean, tara), fermentation (xanthan), tree sap (acacia), seaweed (carrageenan) and plant cellulose (cellulose gum).
• Many labels stack several gums; brands do not disclose how much of each they use or why.
• EFSA saw no need for a numerical ADI for guar, locust bean, tara, xanthan, acacia or the celluloses, but called carrageenan's 75 mg/kg ADI temporary. In the US, carrageenan is a food additive under 21 CFR 172.620 rather than GRAS.
• Non-digestible fibers can trigger mild digestive discomfort during bacterial fermentation in sensitive guts.
• One of the six labels, Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean, lists no gums at all.

Selection criteria for this roundup: We picked six products from different aisles (ice cream bars, pints, a protein powder, a protein shake and a soda) and ordered them from the most gums and thickeners to none. Ingredient lists come from Open Food Facts; current retail labels may differ, so check the package.

Gums are plant, microbial or seaweed extracts used to adjust texture, bind water and keep ingredients from separating. They usually sit near the end of an ingredient list, often several in a row. For how they show up across frozen desserts, see Ice Cream Labels Scanned.

1. Friendly's Orange Cream Ice Cream Bars: 5 Gums and Thickeners

What it is: Friendly's Orange Cream bars list five distinct thickeners and gelling agents: guar gum, carob bean gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, and pectin, alongside mono and diglycerides.

Why it made the list: It lists the most gums and thickeners of the six; Friendly's does not say why it uses each one. Under U.S. regulations, guar gum 21 CFR 184.1339 is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and derived from the seed of the guar plant (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba). EFSA's guar gum re-evaluation found it is practically undigested but fermented by gut bacteria, and raised no safety concern for the general population. For a deeper look at this botanical fiber, see our guide on Guar Gum: The Seed Fiber Thickening Your Food. Locust bean gum, also codified as carob bean gum under 21 CFR 184.1343, is obtained mainly from the seed endosperm of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). Under 21 CFR 172.620, carrageenan is regulated as a direct food additive, not GRAS, functioning as an approved emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener extracted from red seaweed.

What to look for on the label: Check the stabilizer blend toward the tail end of the ingredients text. Here, four gums plus pectin sit at the tail of the list, alongside mono and diglycerides.

2. Tillamook Cookies and Cream: 4 Seed and Fermented Gums

What it is: Tillamook Cookies and Cream lists four gums: guar gum, tara gum, xanthan gum, and locust bean gum, alongside soy lecithin and baking soda.

Why it made the list: It pairs three seed gums with one made by fermentation; Tillamook does not say why it uses each. Tara gum comes from the seeds of Caesalpinia spinosa. In its tara gum re-evaluation, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) noted earlier ADIs of "not specified", saw no need for a numerical ADI, and found no safety concern at reported uses. Xanthan gum, regulated under 21 CFR 172.695, is a polysaccharide produced via pure-culture fermentation of Xanthomonas campestris. EFSA's xanthan gum re-evaluation noted that adults took up to 214 mg/kg body weight per day for ten days; it was well tolerated, though some had abdominal discomfort, which EFSA called undesirable but not adverse.

What to look for on the label: Look for tara gum and xanthan gum appearing immediately beside guar and locust bean gum.

3. Ryse Loaded Protein Cinnamon Toast: 4 Gums

What it is: A whey protein powder whose label lists four gums in two places: gum acacia within the MCT Oil Powder, and a distinct Gum Blend consisting of cellulose gum, xanthan gum, and carrageenan.

Why it made the list: It shows gums hiding inside sub-ingredients, not just in the main list. Ryse does not say why it uses each one. Gum acacia (gum arabic) is regulated under 21 CFR 184.1330 as a dried gummy exudate from Acacia trees. EFSA's acacia gum re-evaluation found intakes up to 30,000 mg per person per day for up to 18 days were well tolerated in adults, with some flatulence. Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (cellulose gum) is recognized under 21 CFR 182.1745 as GRAS. EFSA's celluloses re-evaluation found they are not absorbed and are excreted intact, and saw no need for a numerical ADI.

What to look for on the label: Look for grouped parenthetical phrases like Gum Blend or carrier listings such as MCT Oil Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Gum Acacia), which signal dispersed stabilizing agents.

4. Core Power Chocolate: Carrageenan Plus Cellulose

What it is: A high-protein chocolate milk shake whose label lists carrageenan, cellulose gel and cellulose gum.

Why it made the list: The label does not say which cellulose form "cellulose gel" is, or why each thickener is used. EFSA's carrageenan re-evaluation found carrageenan is not absorbed intact and raised no carcinogenicity or genotoxicity concern, but because of uncertainties it said the group ADI of 75 mg/kg body weight per day should be considered temporary while the data are improved. In the US, carrageenan is a food additive under 21 CFR 172.620.

Clinical trials have also examined carboxymethylcellulose in controlled settings. A double-blind controlled-feeding study published in Gastroenterology (Chassaing et al. 2022) fed healthy adults an emulsifier-free diet versus the same diet supplemented with 15 g per day of CMC (9 versus 7 people, for 11 days). The researchers found that 15 g per day modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort, reduced gut microbiota diversity, lowered fecal short-chain fatty acids, and in two people on CMC, gut microbes moved into the inner mucus layer. 15 g a day is a research dose, not what one product contains.

What to look for on the label: Look for carrageenan paired directly with cellulose gel and cellulose gum next to the sweeteners near the end of the list.

5. Fresca: 2 Gums in a Clear Soda

What it is: Fresca, a zero-sugar citrus soda, lists two plant gums: acacia gum and carob bean gum, listed alongside potassium sorbate and glycerol ester of rosin.

Why it made the list: It shows gums turning up in a clear soda, not just in creamy foods. Coca-Cola does not say why Fresca uses each one; in citrus drinks, acacia gum and glycerol ester of rosin are commonly used to keep flavor oils from separating. For more on that job, see Emulsifiers on Ingredient Lists Explained: Lecithin to Polysorbate 80. EFSA's locust bean gum re-evaluation saw no need for a numerical ADI and no safety concern for the general population.

What to look for on the label: In clear sodas and flavored sparkling waters, look for acacia gum, carob bean gum and glycerol ester of rosin toward the end of the list.

6. Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean: Zero Gums

What it is: Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean lists no gums, thickeners or stabilizers. Its ingredient list is short: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, ground vanilla beans, and vanilla extract.

Why it made the list: It shows a pint can be made without added gums. Its list relies on cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks; Häagen-Dazs does not say how it gets its texture.

What to look for on the label: When seeking stabilizer-free frozen desserts, look for very short ingredient panels featuring cream, milk, sugar, and egg yolks, without terms like guar, carob, xanthan, carrageenan, or cellulose.

How to Use This List to Decode Food Thickeners on Any Label

When shopping for packaged groceries, understanding why food gums appear helps you make informed choices based on personal digestive comfort and culinary preferences:

• Look near the end of the list: gums are used in small amounts, so they tend to appear toward the end (brands do not disclose how much).
• Identify the source class: Determine whether the thickener is a seed extract (guar, locust/carob bean, tara), a microbial ferment (xanthan), an exudate (acacia), a seaweed extract (carrageenan), or a modified plant structural fiber (cellulose gum).
• Evaluate digestive comfort: Because humans lack the digestive enzymes to break down these complex polysaccharides, they pass into the colon where resident microbes ferment them. If you experience bloating or gas from high-fiber foods, checking for stacked gums can be helpful.
• Check whole-food alternatives: If you prefer to avoid industrial thickeners, look for traditional recipes that use eggs, whole starches, or natural dairy fats to create body.

Scientific evidence has clear limitations: nutritional studies cannot predict how every individual gut microbiome will react to specific gum combinations, and clinical feeding trials often test isolated doses far higher than the small amounts found in packaged foods. Exact amounts of thickeners are not disclosed on retail labels. To see each gum on a label explained one by one, scan the product with the Aurascan app.