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E153 (vegetable carbon): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E153 is vegetable carbon, a colour. E153 comes from plants. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E153=plants

What is E153?

E153 (vegetable carbon) is a colour, an additive that adds or restores colour in a food.

What is E153 made from?

E153 comes from plants. Charcoal black, from burnt plant material. Not permitted as a food colour in the US.

  • Plants

Is E153 vegan?

Fits you. E153 comes from plants. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE153 comes from plants. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE153 comes from plants. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E153 have on a label?

On a label, E153 can also appear as “INS 153”, “Colour (153)”, “Colour (E153)”, “Vegetable carbon” or “Carbon black”.

Any of these on a pack means E153. The checker reads them all.

E153E 153E-153INS 153Colour (153)Colour (E153)Vegetable carbonCarbon black

What would change the answer for E153?

For E153, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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