What is it?
Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas. It is in the air, in every breath we breathe out, and it is made when yeast ferments. For food it is captured from industrial processes such as fermentation and cleaned to food grade.
E-numbers / Other additives / E290
Carbon dioxide
also: CO2 · Carbonic acid gas
The gas that makes fizzy drinks fizz. It also keeps packed food fresh and, as dry ice, keeps chilled food cold.
Scan a barcode to check a food for carbon dioxide. NutraSafe Pro · £3.99/month · iOS
Grapes, Acidity Regulator (Tartaric Acid), Preservatives (Sulphur Dioxide, Potassium Metabisulphite), Dried Egg White, Packaging Gas (Carbon Dioxide).
E290
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas.
VeganVegetarian
305
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E290 in their ingredients
That is 0.7%, counted by its code or its name.
Only under 0.1% of these labels print “E290”. Most use the name: look for “carbon dioxide”.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
How common it is in UK food, by aisle
- Alcoholic drinks144 products7.8% of 1,857
- Soft drinks and juices105 products4% of 2,627
- Chocolate and sweets12 products0.6% of 2,045
- Cupboard staples7 products0.4% of 1,936
What carbon dioxide is, what it does and where you will see it
What does it do?
Dissolved under pressure in a drink, it forms carbonic acid, which gives the fizz and a slight sharpness. As a gas in sealed packs it pushes out oxygen, which slows the bacteria and moulds that need air. Frozen solid, as dry ice, it keeps food cold. It also pushes food out of aerosol cans.
Where you will see it
Fizzy soft drinks, sparkling water, beer, cider, sparkling wine and fizzy juices. It is also used in gas-sealed packs of fresh meat, fish, salad and baked goods, and to keep food cold in transport. UK labels call it carbon dioxide or E290.
What the science says
Fizzy drinks wear down teeth mainly because of their other acids
Fizzy drinks are slightly acidic because the gas forms carbonic acid. Drinking them often is linked to worn tooth enamel, but research points to added sugar and citric or phosphoric acid as the main causes, not the carbonic acid. Plain sparkling water does very little damage compared with cola or fruit-flavoured fizzy drinks.
In an observational study, sparkling water wore down teeth very little compared with acidic fizzy soft drinks. The damage from fizzy drinks comes mainly from added acids, not from carbonic acid.
2009ObservationalCheng et al., British Dental Journal
The gas can make bloating worse in some people
Swallowed carbon dioxide adds to burping and bloating in some people, usually briefly. People with irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion may find fizzy drinks make their symptoms worse, and are usually advised to drink fewer.
Observational research found that in people with gut disorders such as IBS, fizzy drinks can make bloating and stomach discomfort worse, and the usual advice is to limit them.
1997ObservationalOlesen & Madsen, European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
No daily limit, because the body makes far more of it
UK and European food regulators have set no numerical daily limit for carbon dioxide in food. The body makes it all the time, and the amounts swallowed with food are tiny next to what the body produces. No gaps in the data have been flagged.
European reviewers raised no safety issue with carbon dioxide at the levels permitted and said no numerical daily limit is needed.
2015Regulator reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS)
Where it stands with the regulators
Approved in the UK and the EU
Daily limit. None set.
- Legal basis
- On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for Great Britain
- Permitted foods
- Fizzy soft drinks · Beer and cider · Sparkling wine and other fizzy alcoholic drinks · Gas-sealed packs of fresh meat, fish, salad and baked goods · Chilled and frozen food transport, as a coolant · Aerosol foods, as a propellant
- Maximum levels
- No set maximum in most foods, as long as makers use no more than they need.
- History
- Carbon dioxide has been allowed in food in the UK and EU for decades with no restrictions. European reviewers looked at it again in 2015 and kept it approved with no numerical daily limit.
Who should be careful
People with irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion are often advised by dietitians to drink fewer fizzy drinks, because the gas can make bloating and discomfort worse. Look for carbon dioxide or E290 in the ingredients, though words like sparkling or carbonated on the front of the pack usually tell you already.
The honest read
Carbon dioxide is one of the most ordinary substances used in food. It is the gas yeast makes when bread rises or beer ferments, and the gas you breathe out. The small downsides, acid on teeth from fizzy soft drinks and bloating from the gas, come almost entirely from the other ingredients in fizzy drinks or from the bubbles themselves, not from the gas acting as a chemical in food. There is no ongoing scientific debate about it as an additive.
Common questions about carbon dioxide
Is E290 banned in the UK?
No. Carbon dioxide is fully approved in food and drink in the UK.
Can fizzy drinks damage your teeth?
Fizzy soft drinks, colas and fruit-flavoured fizzy drinks are linked to worn tooth enamel, but research shows the main culprits are added citric acid, phosphoric acid and sugar, not the carbonic acid from the gas. Plain sparkling water carries a low risk.
What foods contain E290?
Fizzy soft drinks, sparkling water, beer, cider, sparkling wine and fizzy juices all use it. It is also used in gas-sealed packs of fresh meat, fish, salad and some baked goods, though it is not always listed when it is only in the packaging.
Is E290 vegan?
Yes. It is a gas with nothing from animals.
Sources
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- EFSA re-evaluation of carbon dioxide (E 290) as a food additive
- EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (Annex II)
- Cheng R et al., Dental erosion and severe tooth decay related to soft drinks, British Dental Journal
- Olesen SS, Madsen G. Carbonated beverages and gastrointestinal symptoms, European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
Related additives
It's the only app that does thisUKJaneK
You Need This AppGmac2005
Best AppGK getting skinny UK App Store reviews
See this on every food you scan
NutraSafe reads the label and puts every additive into plain English, with the source, right in the app.
NutraSafe Pro · £3.99/month · iOS