Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?
Also known as: Carbon dioxide gas, Carbonation agent, E290
Vegan
No animals or animal-derived substances are involved in producing this agent.
Not required on labels
Listed as E290 when added as a direct additive (e.g. carbonation). Not listed when used as a processing atmosphere.
Source
Collected from industrial processes (fermentation, combustion), natural geological sources, or produced synthetically. No animal products are used.
Used In
Carbonation of soft drinks and sparkling water, beer and wine carbonation, food preservation, modified atmosphere packaging, supercritical CO₂ extraction (used in decaffeination and hop extraction), stunning of animals pre-slaughter (relevant context only).
How to Avoid
No need to avoid — CO₂ is vegan.
Editorial Notes
CO₂ used in food and beverage is vegan. It is worth noting that CO₂ is used in some slaughterhouses to stun animals before killing — this is not a food additive use and has no bearing on the vegan status of CO₂ as a processing agent in food manufacturing.