E153

Vegetable Carbon

Last reviewed: 11 May 2026

Plant-derived black colour from carbonised plant matter.

What it is

E153 is finely ground carbon produced by carbonising plant material — most commonly wood, coconut shells or peat — at high temperatures in a low-oxygen environment. The resulting black powder is purified and milled to a particle size suitable for food use. The specification under retained UK food law restricts metal impurities, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon residues from incomplete combustion, and other contaminants typical of poorly controlled charcoal production. E153 is chemically simple — almost entirely carbon — and is used purely as a colour: it imparts no taste and contributes no calories at the levels permitted.

Vegetable carbon (E153) and "activated charcoal" supplements are related but not identical. Both are carbonised organic matter, but activated charcoal is processed to maximise its surface area and adsorption capacity for medical use (poisoning antidote, some over-the-counter digestive products). The food colour is not specified for that adsorption performance and is used in tiny amounts — but the basic chemistry is the same family, which is why high-dose charcoal supplements taken close to medicines can reduce their absorption.

Where you'll see it on a UK label

E153 turns up wherever a deep black colour is wanted that other colours can't deliver:

• Black ice cream and dark sorbets (premium and novelty ranges)
• Vegan and artisan cheese rinds — the soft black ash-coating on plant-based and traditional ash-rolled cheeses
• Black sourdough and burger buns — novelty bakery items
• Some traditional liquorice products for deepening the colour beyond natural liquorice extract
• Black-coated confectionery, black jelly sweets, novelty Halloween products
• Charcoal lemonades and "detox" drinks (marketing claims for which the evidence is thin — see below)
• Some craft gin and spirits for novelty colour

On a UK pack the additive may be declared as E153, vegetable carbon, plant carbon, or colour (vegetable carbon).

What the science shows

Toxicology

EFSA's re-evaluation concluded that vegetable carbon at the use levels permitted does not raise toxicological concerns. No numerical ADI was assigned — the specification controls the colour by purity and use level rather than by a daily intake ceiling. Genotoxicity and chronic toxicity studies on food-grade carbon have not produced positive findings at relevant exposures.

The medication-adsorption question

Activated charcoal — the closely related supplement — is documented to adsorb a wide range of small molecules in the gut, including some oral medicines (notably oral contraceptives, antidepressants, some thyroid medicines, anticonvulsants and certain antibiotics). The clinical guidance for charcoal supplements is to separate dosing from regular medicines by at least two hours. The amount of carbon delivered by a black ice-cream or a black cheese rind is small compared with a charcoal capsule, so the interaction risk from E153-as-a-food-colour is much lower than the supplement context, but it is not zero. If you take time-critical medication (oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants) and you regularly eat charcoal-coloured foods, the cautious practical step is to keep some space between the two — or to ask a pharmacist about the specific medicine you take.

"Detox" marketing

Many novelty charcoal foods are sold with "detox", "cleanse" or "binds toxins" copy. The published evidence does not support these claims for the small carbon amounts used as a food colour: the human liver, kidneys and gut handle dietary detoxification, and small charcoal doses don't measurably change those pathways. We don't endorse the marketing.

Black stools

Eating substantial amounts of charcoal-coloured food turns the stool black for a day or two as the unabsorbed carbon passes through. This is harmless in itself — but a clinical worth-knowing: black stools are also a sign of upper-gastrointestinal bleeding (melaena), where partly-digested blood produces a tarry black appearance. If you've eaten charcoal foods and your stool is black, the carbon is the most likely explanation; if you also have abdominal pain, dizziness or other symptoms, see a doctor rather than assume it's the food.

Reading a UK label

Vegetable carbon is straightforward to spot — almost any deep matte-black food contains either E153, sepia (squid ink, on some pastas), or activated charcoal supplements blended into the recipe. The ingredients list will say E153, vegetable carbon, plant carbon, or colour (vegetable carbon). If you take regular oral medication and want to keep clear of high-charcoal foods, the simplest signal is the colour itself: any pitch-black ice cream, novelty bun, ash-coated cheese or "charcoal" lemonade is using something in this family.

Regulatory status

UK and EU: authorised as E153 under Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, with permitted uses restricted to colour and no numerical ADI specified.

United States: vegetable carbon black is not generally authorised as a food additive in the US — this is one of the food-colour areas where UK/EU and US labels diverge. Activated charcoal as a supplement is sold but is regulated differently from a colour additive.

Last updated: 11 May 2026