E174

Silver

Limited risk

Decorative metallic color.

Vegan: Yes
Vegetarian: Yes

What it is

Pure precious metal (Silver) used exclusively for luxurious visual decoration.

How it is used in food

Provides a metallic, highly decorative surface finish for luxury chocolates and cake decorations.

Commonly found in

Luxury chocolates
Wedding cakes
Premium liqueurs

Health and safety

Metallic silver is inert and passes through the gut unabsorbed. The honest caveat is that EFSA could not complete its re-evaluation because the toxicological data was too thin, so its use stays confined to external decoration.

Permitted only for external decoration of confectionery and liqueurs. EFSA’s re-evaluation was left open for want of data.

Regulatory status

Region	Status	Notes
Australia & New Zealand FSANZ	Permitted	Permitted under the FSANZ Food Standards Code.
European Union EFSA / European Commission	Permitted	Authorised for food use under EU regulations (Annex II).
United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration)	Permitted	Authorised for food use by the FDA (often GRAS for standard additives).

Identification on labels

E-number: E174

How it is made

Mined, purified, and hammered into microscopically thin leaves or flakes.

Refining and Beating — Pure silver is refined and beaten into microscopically thin sheets or flakes.

Worth knowing

Silver has inherent antimicrobial properties.

Conclusion

You should only mind silver if you prefer to avoid decorative metal additives with incomplete safety data. While metallic silver is inert and passes through the gut unabsorbed, EFSA could not finish its safety re-evaluation due to a lack of toxicological data, keeping its use strictly confined to external decorations on luxury chocolates and liqueurs.

References

EFSA evaluation of E174 — EFSA

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Entry last reviewed 2026-07-28.

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