E949 - Hydrogen

At a glance

• Additive: Hydrogen (E949)
• What it does: Packaging gas and propellant to displace oxygen in sealed foods
• Appearance: Colorless, odorless gas
• Where it’s used: Specialized modified-atmosphere packs and certain aerosols (rare in everyday retail)
• Safety notes: Authorized in the EU; extremely flammable, so handling is tightly controlled; little to no gas remains in food after opening

Why is Hydrogen added to food?

Hydrogen can be used to push oxygen out of a package (modified-atmosphere packaging) or to expel a product from a can or bottle (as a propellant), both intended to help protect food quality. In the European Union, hydrogen (E949) is authorized for these uses at “quantum satis,” which means only as much as needed for the intended effect.¹ Because hydrogen is highly flammable, manufacturers more often choose other gases for routine jobs, reserving hydrogen for niche applications where its properties are useful.²

What foods contain Hydrogen?

You are unlikely to see E949 on most food labels. When used, it may appear on the ingredients list as “Hydrogen” or “E949,” often alongside wording such as “packaging gas” or “propellant.” Occasional use is possible in certain sealed or aerosolized products, but far more common are gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

What can replace Hydrogen?

• Nitrogen: An inert packaging gas widely used to fill chips, coffee, and many snacks.
• Carbon dioxide: Helps inhibit microbial growth in some refrigerated foods.
• Argon: An inert gas sometimes used to protect delicate aromas or flavors.
• Nitrous oxide: Common propellant for whipped toppings.
• Oxygen: Used in a few cases (for example, to keep meat color bright) despite promoting oxidation in others.

How is Hydrogen made?

Most hydrogen is produced industrially by steam methane reforming of natural gas; it can also be made by splitting water via electrolysis. Both routes are common worldwide, with production chosen based on cost, energy source, and local infrastructure.³ When intended for food use in the EU, hydrogen must meet food-grade purity specifications set out in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.⁴

Is Hydrogen safe to eat?

E949 is authorized in the EU as a packaging gas and propellant at “quantum satis,” indicating it may be used as needed and within good manufacturing practice.¹ From a dietary perspective, hydrogen contributes no nutrients or calories, and—being a gas with very low solubility—it typically disperses rapidly when a package is opened. Safety concerns focus on handling and storage (it is very flammable), rather than on ingestion from foods.

Does Hydrogen have any benefits?

For consumers, the benefit is indirect: replacing oxygen in a sealed pack can help preserve texture, aroma, or color until opening. Hydrogen itself does not add flavor or nutrition; it simply acts on the headspace inside the package.

Who should avoid Hydrogen?

There is no specific dietary group that needs to avoid E949 in food. The primary risks involve handling bulk gas in manufacturing due to flammability. For ordinary shoppers, any hydrogen used as a packaging gas will escape quickly once the package is opened.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Hydrogen in a food package will explode as soon as you open it.”
  Fact: Hydrogen is flammable only when mixed with air within a certain range (about 4–75% by volume) and exposed to an ignition source. Packages are designed and handled to manage this risk.²
• Myth: “Hydrogen in foods is the same as hydrogenated oils.”
  Fact: “Hydrogenated oils” are fats chemically modified using hydrogen gas in a reactor. That process created partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which the U.S. FDA has determined are not Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). This is a different issue from using hydrogen gas as a packaging aid.⁵
• Myth: “Hydrogen stays in the food.”
  Fact: Hydrogen is a very light gas with low solubility; it typically dissipates rapidly when a package is opened.⁶

Hydrogen in branded foods

• How it may appear on labels: “E949,” “Hydrogen,” or with a function name such as “packaging gas” or “propellant.”
• Where you might see it: Specialized modified-atmosphere packs or certain aerosols; far less common than nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or nitrous oxide.

References

Footnotes

1. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R1333 ↩ ↩²

2. Hydrogen — NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0337.html ↩ ↩²

3. Hydrogen Production (overview) — U.S. Department of Energy. https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production ↩

4. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (food additive specifications) — European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0231 ↩

5. Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/partially-hydrogenated-oils-phos ↩

6. Hydrogen — PubChem, National Institutes of Health. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Hydrogen ↩