INS (International Numbering System)

The Codex Alimentarius numbering system for food additives, used internationally as a language-neutral identifier. INS numbers are assigned to approved food additives to identify them without relying on chemical names that vary by language (e.g. INS 415 = Xanthan gum, INS 440 = Pectins, INS 300 = Ascorbic acid, INS 621 = Monosodium glutamate). In the EU, INS numbers broadly correspond to E-numbers, though the two systems are not perfectly identical.