INS 461 is the code for methyl cellulose
Modified plant fibre that thickens and, unusually, sets when heated rather than cooled - which is how meat analogues hold shape.
- What it does
- Thickens it A thickener
- Vegetarian?
- Vegetarian From plants
- In the Zabel score
- Takes no points off Method 1.0.0
- In our catalogue
- 11 packs List it in their ingredients
Is INS 461 vegetarian?
INS 461 is from plants, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
Too few packs in our catalogue list INS 461 for a breakdown by food to mean anything yet. We print one once at least 20 categorised packs carry it.
What does the evidence say about INS 461?
We grade an additive by the evidence about it, not by whether it sounds like a chemical, and we make no claim about whether a pack complies with FSSAI rules.
JECFA sets no numerical limit for modified celluloses as a group and has identified no concern at food levels.
Does Zabel mark INS 461 down?
No. On the evidence we hold it takes nothing off the score (method 1.0.0). Read the method.
Questions people search
What is INS 461?
INS 461 is the code for methyl cellulose, a thickener. Modified plant fibre that thickens and, unusually, sets when heated rather than cooled - which is how meat analogues hold shape.
Is INS 461 vegetarian?
INS 461 is from plants, so it does not by itself make a food non-vegetarian. The green or brown mark on the pack is still the declaration to go by, because it covers every other ingredient too.
What does the evidence say about INS 461?
JECFA sets no numerical limit for modified celluloses as a group and has identified no concern at food levels.
Does Zabel mark INS 461 down?
No. On the evidence we hold it takes nothing off the score (method 1.0.0).
Sources
- 01 Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) WHO / FAO, 2024
- 02 Zabel catalogue - pack counts, food categories and the codes printed alongside 4 Nov 2026
Entry updated 19 Sep 2026 · Not reviewed by a dietitian yet · Report an error on this page
Point the camera at the pack.
Zabel reads every INS code on it, shows the score, and shows the working.