Re‐evaluation of oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949) as food additives

TL;DR

This paper re-evaluates the safety of oxygen and hydrogen as food additives and concludes they are safe for use in food.

Contribution

The study provides a new scientific assessment of oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949) as food additives in the EU.

Findings

Oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949) are considered to be of low toxicological concern.

The dietary exposure to these additives is very low and does not raise safety concerns.

The Panel recommends amending existing EU specifications for both additives.

Abstract

The Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) provides a scientific opinion re‐evaluating the safety of oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949) as food additives. Their currently permitted use in food in the European Union (EU) is in all food categories, including in foods for infants and young children at quantum satis (QS). They can also be used in food additive preparations, food enzymes and nutrients also at QS. No interested business operators (IBOs) provided information in response to the call for data published by EFSA to support their re‐evaluation. The original evaluation by the EU in 1990 indicated their use as packaging gases, and in the case of oxygen (E 948), also as propellant. The Panel considered the two gases to be of low toxicological concern when used as food additives and their dietary exposure very low. The Panel concluded that the use of oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949) as food additives does not raise a safety concern. The Panel made some recommendations for amending existing EU specifications for both oxygen (E 948) and hydrogen (E 949).