EU Food Safety Authority Identifies Safety Risks of Argon and Helium as Food Additives

On October 28, 2024, an update from the European Union Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revealed that the EU Group on Food Additives and Flavorries (FAF) has completed a re-assessment of the safety of argon (E 938) and helium (E 939) as food additives. This news has attracted a lot of attention because the use of argon and helium as food additives has a certain range of applications in the food industry.

Two food additives, argon (E938) and helium (E939), were re-evaluated with scientific advice from the Food Additives and Fragrances Panel (FAF), as reported in part of the original article. Argon (Ar) and helium (He) are two extremely rare gases in nature. They exist in the form of single atoms and have a high degree of chemical stability. Due to their chemical inertness, argon and helium are widely used in various situations in the food industry. Their physicochemical properties provided a solid basis for previous evaluations by the SCF (Scientific Committee on Food) and JECFA (Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives). SCF and JECFA consider these two food additives to be safe for use even in the absence of a detailed toxicological assessment.

However, in the course of the reassessment, EFSA found that no business operators or other stakeholders responded to its published call for data to provide relevant information to support the reassessment of these two food additives. This information includes the identity and specifications of the additives, the manufacturing process, including the identification and quantification of potential impurities, and how they are applied to food to perform their technical functions. Nonetheless, a business operator responded to the data published by the EFSA by reporting the level of use of E938 as a packaging gas for a food category.

Based on the physicochemical properties of argon and helium, the panel considered the toxicological problems of these gases to be relatively low when used as food additives. Despite this, the Panel also noted that there is no information available on possible toxicological issues in the production of E938 and E939 food additives. However, the panel stressed that a minimum purity requirement of 99.0% is required to meet existing specifications.

Ultimately, the panel concluded that the use of argon (E938) and helium (E939) as food additives did not raise safety concerns. Based on this conclusion, the Affairs Committee proposes to revise the current EU regulation in order to introduce the corresponding CA number to ensure a more regulated and safe use of these food additives. This move will undoubtedly provide clearer guidance to the food industry, as well as more security for consumers.