Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is a sort of derivative cellulose which cone angles of glucose are 100-2000 and it belongs to natural cellulose modified.There is extensive application of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in the food industry.Structure and character,the method of preparation and application in the food industry of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose were surveyed in this article.The development prospect of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose has also been looked forward in the paper.