Is E153 halal?

What E153 actually is

E153 is finely ground charcoal used as a black colouring. It turns up in black ice cream, some cheese rinds and confectionery, and it has had periodic moments of popularity in charcoal-coloured food trends.

It is made by carbonising organic material. Wood, peat and coconut shell are the usual feedstocks — but animal charcoal, made from bone, is also a route to the same black pigment.

Why we do not simply call this plant-based

Our reference table records E153 as source-dependent: it may be prepared from animal charcoal or from vegetable sources, with the commercial supply mainly plant material. That mainly is doing real work, and it is not something a label resolves.

This is the same structure as E471 — a probable plant origin is not a stated plant origin. The name vegetable carbon appears on many packs and does settle it, but the bare code E153 does not, and the two are used interchangeably in practice.

There is a related question people often merge with this one: bone char used as a filter in some cane sugar refining. That is a separate issue attaching to sugar rather than to this colouring, though it comes from the same underlying material.

How to check it yourself

• Look for the words vegetable carbon rather than the bare code — that phrasing names the source and resolves it.
• A vegan mark on the product rules out the animal-charcoal route.
• If the bone char question in sugar concerns you, beet sugar and unrefined cane sugar do not use it, and many refiners have moved to alternative filtration.
• E153 is not permitted in the US, so American products use other black colourings — usually a blend of synthetic dyes.

Where you'll run into it

Black ice cream and desserts, some cheese rinds and coatings, confectionery, charcoal-coloured breads and snacks.

Common questions

Is E153 made from bones?

It can be. Our reference table records animal charcoal as a possible source alongside vegetable material, with plant sources dominating commercially. A pack saying vegetable carbon has answered the question; a bare E153 has not.

Is activated charcoal the same thing?

Related but not identical. Activated charcoal sold as a supplement is usually coconut shell derived and also plant-based, but it is regulated separately from E153.

What about bone char in sugar?

That is a genuine and separate question about cane sugar refining. Beet sugar and unrefined cane sugar avoid it, and many refiners now use alternative filtration.

Sources

• EU register of authorised food additives — E153 specification requiring vegetable source
• EFSA — food additives — vegetable carbon evaluation

Best-effort guidance compiled from sourced references — not a religious ruling and not a certification. Schools of thought differ, and manufacturers change formulations without notice. Please verify with the producer or your local authority when it matters. How we decide a verdict.