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.