E-numbers  /  Other additives  /  E949

Hydrogen

also: H2

A colourless, odourless gas used in food packaging to prevent oxidation and extend shelf life, and dissolved into some beverages.

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E949

Hydrogen

Hydrogen (H2) is the lightest and most abundant element, existing as a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas at room temperature.

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What hydrogen is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Hydrogen (H2) is the lightest and most abundant element, existing as a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas at room temperature. As a food additive, it is used in food-grade purity at a minimum of 99%.

What does it do?

In modified atmosphere packaging, hydrogen displaces or reduces oxygen inside sealed packaging, slowing fat oxidation and microbial spoilage. It can also be dissolved into beverages, where it acts as a reducing agent. In wine production it has been used to limit oxidation during fermentation. Because hydrogen molecules are extremely small, it has also been used in packaging quality assurance as a trace leak-detection gas.

Where you will see it

Hydrogen appears in packaging for fatty fish, meats, certain cheeses, and some beverages including juice and soft drinks. It has also been used in dietary supplements dissolved in water. On a UK label it may appear as E949 or as 'hydrogen' in the ingredients or packaging gas declaration.

What the science says

Toxicological assessment: how hydrogen behaves in the body

Hydrogen gas is characterised as non-toxic. Because it has very low solubility in water (approximately 1.62 mg per litre at 21 degrees Celsius), the amount that dissolves into food from packaging is very small. The EU Scientific Committee for Food evaluated hydrogen in 1990 and found no need to set an acceptable daily intake, concluding that its use as a packaging gas was toxicologically acceptable. A 2025 EFSA re-evaluation confirmed this, finding no safety concern from its use as a food additive.

The EU Scientific Committee for Food concluded in 1990 that hydrogen's use as a packaging gas is toxicologically acceptable and that no acceptable daily intake needed to be established.

1990RegulatoryEU Scientific Committee for Food opinion on packaging gases including hydrogen

The EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings concluded that the use of hydrogen (E 949) as a food additive does not raise a safety concern, based on very low dietary exposure and low toxicological concern.

2025Regulatory reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings, EFSA Journal 23(8):e9595

Hydrogen in beverages: emerging research, limited evidence

There is growing interest in hydrogen-rich water as a functional beverage, with early research suggesting possible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. A 2024 systematic review covering 31 human randomised controlled trials found preliminary evidence for effects on oxidative stress and metabolic markers. However, most studies involve small numbers of participants, short durations, and variable hydrogen doses, and no findings have yet been confirmed by large, long-term trials. The EFSA panel noted that hydrogen's possible therapeutic applications in food uses remain largely anecdotal.

A systematic review of 31 human randomised controlled trials found preliminary evidence that hydrogen-rich water may reduce oxidative stress markers and affect blood lipids, but studies were heterogeneous and sample sizes small.

2024Meta-analysisSystematic review, International Journal of Molecular Sciences

A meta-analysis of 8 randomised controlled trials in metabolic disorders found small decreases in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides with hydrogen-rich water, but changes were not statistically significant.

2024Meta-analysisPMC11742746, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

EFSA noted that despite growing interest in hydrogen's therapeutic applications when used as a food additive, use remains largely anecdotal and exposure from food uses is very low.

2025Regulatory reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings, EFSA Journal 23(8):e9595

Data gap: manufacturing impurities

The 2025 EFSA re-evaluation identified one notable limitation: no manufacturers submitted data on their production methods for food-grade hydrogen. This means the panel could not fully verify that existing specifications cover all potential impurities from every production route. Food-grade hydrogen must be at least 99% pure, and the panel found the listed impurities at that purity do not raise a concern, but the gap in manufacturing data was flagged as outstanding.

No business operators provided manufacturing process information, so EFSA could not fully assess whether specifications adequately covered all potential impurities from all production methods.

2025Regulatory reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings, EFSA Journal 23(8):e9595

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved for use in the UK and EU
Legal basis
UK FSA approved-additives list and assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 (Annex II and Annex III)
Permitted foods
All food categories (quantum satis); Foods for infants and young children (quantum satis); Food additive preparations (Annex III Part 2); Food enzymes (Annex III Part 3); Nutrients (Annex III Part 5)
Maximum levels
Quantum satis (no numerical maximum; used at the level needed for its technical purpose in accordance with good manufacturing practice)
Safe-intake limit (ADI)
No numerical ADI set. No ADI was deemed necessary by the EU Scientific Committee for Food (1990) or EFSA (2025) given the very low dietary exposure.
History
Evaluated by the EU Scientific Committee for Food in 1990 as a packaging gas; authorised at quantum satis for all food categories under EU Regulation 1333/2008. Re-evaluated by EFSA in 2025 as part of the systematic re-evaluation programme for all authorised food additives; EFSA recommended amendments to existing EU specifications to address the manufacturing data gap. Hydrogen has not been subject to a ban or restriction in the UK or EU.

Who should be careful

No group is required to avoid hydrogen as a food additive on current evidence. People with specific intolerances should look at other ingredients in the product, not the packaging gas itself.

The honest read

Hydrogen is one of the most unremarkable substances in the food additive list. It is a gas that dissipates quickly and has extremely low solubility, so very little actually enters the food. Food regulators in both the EU and UK have consistently found nothing to flag over 35 years of evaluation, and the most recent 2025 review reached the same conclusion. The one live question is not about the gas itself but about whether manufacturers have fully documented their production methods, which EFSA flagged as a data gap. There is also active scientific interest in hydrogen-rich water as a functional food ingredient, but the evidence from human trials is still early and the studies are small.

Common questions about hydrogen

Is E949 banned in the UK?

No. Hydrogen (E949) is approved for use in the UK and EU under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 and appears on the UK FSA approved-additives list. It can be used at quantum satis levels across all food categories.

Does hydrogen in food packaging affect the food I eat?

Very little. Hydrogen has very low solubility in water (roughly 1.62 mg per litre at 21 degrees Celsius), so the amount that dissolves into food from packaging is minimal. It is colourless, odourless, and tasteless, and does not alter the food's flavour, appearance, or nutritional content.

What foods contain E949?

E949 appears in a small number of food products, including fatty fish, meats, certain cheeses, and some beverages such as juice, soft drinks, and hydrogen-infused water. It has also been found in some vitamin and dietary supplement products. It is not a common additive, appearing in fewer than 0.1% of food subcategory products in market surveys.

Is E949 vegan?

Yes. Hydrogen is an elemental gas with no animal-derived origin. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and carries no religious dietary restrictions.

Sources

Last reviewed: 20 June 2026

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