Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose meeting the food additive specification is consequently considered safe for all animal species. Setting a maximum content in complete diets is not considered necessary. The low toxicity of celluloses shown in the toxicological studies (see Section 3.2.2) support this conclusion.

Overall, the data set for genotoxicity is not complete for all the substances and several studies were not in line with the current standard. However, it should be considered that the chemical structure of unmodified and modified cellulose does not show any alert for genotoxicity and that no indication of genotoxicity was found for any of these substances in several in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity studies.

Safety and efficacy of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose for all animal species

As soon as a product is labeled as vegetarian or vegan, consumers immediately get the impression that there’s something inherently good or natural about it, or that it’s somehow better for their health. However, the recent discussions about vegetarian meat substitutes have shown that this is not necessarily true. Such is the case for HPMC hard capsules. They’re vegan, made from cellulose fiber and therefore regarded as natural.