E-numbers / Other additives / E938
An inert gas pumped into food packaging to push out oxygen, slowing spoilage and keeping food fresh without any chemical contact.
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Argon is a naturally occurring noble gas that makes up about 0.93% of the Earth's atmosphere.
Argon is a naturally occurring noble gas that makes up about 0.93% of the Earth's atmosphere. It is chemically inert, meaning it does not react with food or form compounds under normal conditions. For food use it is extracted from air by fractional distillation and compressed to a high-purity grade.
Displaces oxygen inside food packaging. Without oxygen, aerobic bacteria cannot grow and oxidation reactions that turn fats rancid or discolour cut meat are halted or greatly slowed. Argon is denser than air, so it settles around food surfaces effectively. It is also used as a propellant in aerosol-dispensed food products and as a blanketing gas over liquids such as wine and oil to prevent oxidation during storage.
Modified atmosphere packaging for fresh meat, poultry, fish, cheese, prepared salads and bakery products. Bottled and canned coffee, snack foods and nuts where oxygen removal extends shelf life. Wine and oil canisters use it as a blanketing layer. On a label it appears as 'Argon' or 'E938' in the ingredients list.
In 2024 EFSA re-evaluated argon as a food additive. Because argon is chemically inert and does not interact with biological tissue at any plausible dietary exposure, the panel concluded there was no toxicological concern at authorised uses. No numerical acceptable daily intake was considered necessary. The panel reviewed the available data and found no evidence of harm from argon residues in food.
EFSA's 2024 re-evaluation found no safety concern with argon (E938) used as a packaging gas and propellant in food at quantum satis levels; no numerical ADI was deemed necessary.
Noble gases such as argon have a full outer electron shell and do not form chemical bonds with food molecules, packaging polymers or human tissue under normal conditions. Any argon that enters the body via dissolved gas in food or through inhalation is exhaled unchanged. This is the basis on which regulatory bodies treat it as presenting no biological hazard at food-use concentrations.
Argon is classified as chemically inert with no known biological reactivity at food-contact or food-residue concentrations; it is exhaled unchanged when ingested or inhaled at normal atmospheric proportions.
Argon is an asphyxiant in confined spaces where it displaces oxygen in the air, which is an occupational hazard for workers in cold stores and packaging plants. This is unrelated to eating food packaged under argon. There is no route by which normal consumption of argon-packaged food exposes consumers to asphyxiation risk.
Industrial use of argon as a blanketing and packaging gas carries an occupational asphyxiation risk in enclosed spaces but no equivalent consumer risk from food consumption has been identified.
No group needs to avoid food packaged under argon on safety grounds. Workers handling bulk compressed argon in industrial settings should follow occupational safe-handling procedures for asphyxiant gases, but this does not affect consumers.
Argon is one of the least chemically interesting food additives on the list. It is a gas that does not touch the food chemically, leaves no residue in the biological sense, and is the same element already present in every breath. The 2024 EFSA re-evaluation, which is the most recent formal scientific review, found nothing to flag. The science here is genuinely settled by the nature of the substance itself.
No. Argon (E938) is approved for use in the UK under the assimilated version of EU Regulation 1333/2008. It is permitted at quantum satis levels across all food categories, including baby foods.
No measurable chemical residue remains in the food. Argon is inert and does not bind to food molecules. Any trace gas dissolved in the food or packaging headspace is exhaled unchanged if ingested.
Fresh meat, poultry, fish and seafood in modified atmosphere trays; pre-packed salads; cheese; bakery goods; roasted nuts and coffee; and some aerosol-dispensed foods. It appears on the label as 'Argon' or 'E938'.
Yes. Argon is an inorganic gas extracted from air. It contains no animal-derived ingredients and is suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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