Vegetable carbon
A black colouring made by charring plant materials such as coconut shells or wood. Used in confectionery, cheese coatings, and bakery products.
Vegetable carbon can contain traces of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a family of compounds that includes benzo[a]pyrene, which IARC classifies as a Group 1 human carcinogen. EFSA's 2026 review recommended tightening PAH limits after finding some commercial samples exceeded the proposed thresholds. A fraction of nanoparticles has also been confirmed present; regulators have not yet resolved the particle-size question.
What is it?
Finely divided carbon produced by the controlled carbonisation of plant materials, typically coconut shells, wood, peat, or cellulose residues. The raw char is activated with steam or carbon dioxide to create a porous structure and purified by acid washing to reduce heavy metals and ash. The result is an odourless, tasteless black powder insoluble in water and fats.
What does it do?
Absorbs and reflects almost no visible light, producing an intense black colour. Because it is insoluble, it is typically dispersed in a carrier such as glucose syrup or glycerin before use. It is not absorbed through the gut wall after consumption; it passes through the digestive tract unchanged.
Where you will see it
Black confectionery including liquorice and black jelly beans; specialty bakery items such as charcoal-style bread rolls and black macarons; wax or coatings on cheese rinds; imitation caviar and fish roe substitutes; collagen sausage casings. On a UK label it appears as 'vegetable carbon' or 'E153'.
What the science says
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) impurities
Vegetable carbon is produced by incomplete combustion of plant materials, which inevitably co-produces PAHs. The PAH content varies widely between producers and production batches. Benzo[a]pyrene, the marker PAH used in regulatory limits, is classified by IARC as a Group 1 human carcinogen based on animal and mechanistic evidence. EFSA's 2026 review found some commercial E153 samples exceeded its proposed new benzo[a]pyrene limit of 20 micrograms per kg and its proposed PAH4 limit of 100 micrograms per kg, prompting a recommendation to tighten the EU specifications.
Benzo[a]pyrene, a PAH that can be present as an impurity in vegetable carbon, is classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) by IARC, based on extensive animal data and mechanistic evidence of DNA damage.
At use levels where residual carcinogenic PAHs expressed as benzo[a]pyrene remain below 1.0 micrograms per kg, EFSA's 2012 re-evaluation concluded the margins of exposure were above the threshold of concern. No numerical ADI was set because toxicological data were considered too limited.
EFSA's 2026 opinion, reviewing commercial sample data submitted by an industry business operator, found that some samples exceeded the highest proposed benzo[a]pyrene limit (20 micrograms per kg) and four samples exceeded the highest proposed PAH4 limit (100 micrograms per kg). The Panel recommended lowering the current benzo[a]pyrene limit and introducing a new PAH4 limit in EU specifications.
Analytical methods currently used to quantify PAHs in activated carbon and vegetable carbon have been found not fit for purpose, raising uncertainty about how accurately PAH contamination levels in food-grade E153 are measured.
Nanoparticles and particle characterisation gap
EFSA confirmed in 2012 that a fraction of very small particles, including nanoparticles below 100 nanometres, is present in E153. At that time the toxicological data on nanoparticles were considered insufficient to assess their safety. The 2026 review revisited this but found the characterisation data submitted by industry still had methodological shortcomings, meaning the nanoparticle question remains unresolved by regulators.
EFSA's 2012 re-evaluation confirmed that nanoparticles are present in vegetable carbon and recommended that the risk assessment should be complemented with nanoscale considerations. The Panel stated the available data did not allow full characterisation of the materials.
EFSA's 2026 review found that electron microscopy data submitted to characterise particle size contained methodological shortcomings in sample preparation and imaging, preventing valid nanoparticle assessment. The Panel concluded the data did not support an amendment to particle-size specifications.
Heavy metal impurities
Because vegetable carbon is derived from natural plant materials processed at high temperatures, it can accumulate trace heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. EFSA's 2026 review found that, based on newly submitted analytical data, current EU specification limits for these elements should be lowered, and a new limit for aluminium should be introduced.
EFSA's 2026 opinion recommended revising downward the current EU specification limits for arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in E153, and introducing a new aluminium limit, based on commercial sample analyses. Risk assessment at current arsenic limits showed concerning margins of exposure below safety thresholds.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No declarable allergen group is associated with E153. However, products coloured with it may be unusual or unfamiliar; if a label reads 'vegetable carbon' or 'E153' and the food is black or very dark, that is the colouring agent.
The honest read
Vegetable carbon is one of the oldest and most physically inert food additives: it passes through the body unabsorbed and has centuries of use in medicine. The practical concern is not the carbon itself but what comes with it. All commercially produced vegetable carbon contains some level of PAH impurities because they are an unavoidable by-product of pyrolysis. Benzo[a]pyrene, the index PAH, is a Group 1 human carcinogen. EFSA's position is that at PAH levels below 1.0 micrograms per kg the margin of exposure is large enough not to raise concern, but its 2026 review found some commercial samples exceeding the proposed new tighter limits. A separate question, about whether the nanoparticle fraction in E153 poses any risk, has not been resolved after two rounds of EFSA review because the industry data were methodologically inadequate. The science here is live: specifications are under active revision and the nanoparticle characterisation gap has not been closed.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E153 banned in the UK?
No. E153 is authorised in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. It appears on the UK FSA's approved-additives list and may be used at quantum satis levels in permitted food categories including confectionery and cheese coatings.
Why is E153 banned in the United States?
The US FDA has not approved vegetable carbon as a food colour additive. The FDA requires a formal colour-additive petition demonstrating safety; no such petition has been successfully concluded for vegetable carbon. The principal regulatory concern is PAH contamination and the lack of agreed analytical standards for measuring it. Foods coloured with E153 cannot be legally marketed in the US.
What foods contain E153?
Black liquorice, black jelly beans, charcoal-style bread rolls, black macarons, imitation caviar, collagen sausage casings, and some cheese rind coatings. It is the additive behind most intensely black food colours in UK and EU products. Look for 'vegetable carbon' or 'E153' in the ingredients list.
Is E153 vegan?
Yes. Vegetable carbon is derived entirely from plant materials such as coconut shells, wood, peat, or cellulose residues. No animal-derived ingredients are used in its production. It is acceptable to vegans and vegetarians and has no religious dietary restrictions.
Sources
- UK FSA: Vegetable carbon (E153) food authorisation
- UK FSA: Approved additives and E numbers
- EFSA ANS Panel: Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of vegetable carbon (E 153) as a food additive, EFSA Journal 10(3):2592
- EFSA ANS Panel: Scientific opinion on the amendment of the specifications for vegetable carbon (E 153) as a food additive, EFSA Journal 24(1):e9855
- IARC Monographs Volume 92: Benzo[a]pyrene (Group 1 carcinogen)
- Current analytical methods to quantify PAHs in activated carbon and vegetable carbon (E153) are not fit for purpose, Environmental Pollution
- European Commission call for technical data on vegetable carbon (E153), 2020
- IACM Color: Vegetable Carbon colour profile
Aaron Keen is the founder of NutraSafe. He researches and writes every additive entry himself, from the primary sources. About the research →
This is a guide, not medical advice. If an additive affects you, speak to your GP or a dietitian.
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