Gellan gum first received approval for food use in Japan in 1988. It is now approved for food use in the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, Latin America, S E Asia and many other countries world-wide.

Gellan gum an approved FDA food additive in the US under 21 CFR 172.665. It appears as E418 in Annex I of European Community Directive EC/95/2. It is also listed in the Food Chemicals Codex, Canada Food and Drug Act (Division 16, Table IV, G.2) and the Japanese Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (JSSFA).

Both the Joint FAD/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Community Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) have given gellan gum an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of "not specified".

Combinations of high acyl and low acyl gellan gum have one name. For example, a manufacturer may label a product made with a combination of both types of gellan gum in the EU as E418 or gellan gum.

Gellan gum appears in the USP/NF (first Supplement April 1, 2004 USP 27/NF 22)