diff --git a/common/flatpak-context.c b/common/flatpak-context.c
index 2afc4598..2d98d5c9 100644
--- a/common/flatpak-context.c
+++ b/common/flatpak-context.c
@@ -1243,37 +1243,22 @@ flatpak_context_parse_env_block (FlatpakContext *context,
                                  gsize length,
                                  GError **error)
 {
-  const char *p = data;
-  gsize remaining = length;
+  g_auto(GStrv) env_vars = NULL;
+  int i;
 
-  /* env_block might not be \0-terminated */
-  while (remaining > 0)
+  env_vars = flatpak_parse_env_block (data, length, error);
+  if (env_vars == NULL)
+    return FALSE;
+
+  for (i = 0; env_vars[i] != NULL; i++)
     {
-      size_t len = strnlen (p, remaining);
-      const char *equals;
-      g_autofree char *env_var = NULL;
-      g_autofree char *env_value = NULL;
+      g_auto(GStrv) split = g_strsplit (env_vars[i], "=", 2);
 
-      g_assert (len <= remaining);
+      g_assert (g_strv_length (split) == 2);
+      g_assert (split[0][0] != '\0');
 
-      equals = memchr (p, '=', len);
-
-      if (equals == NULL || equals == p)
-        return glnx_throw (error,
-                           "Environment variable must be given in the form VARIABLE=VALUE, not %.*s", (int) len, p);
-
-      env_var = g_strndup (p, equals - p);
-      env_value = g_strndup (equals + 1, len - (equals - p) - 1);
-      flatpak_context_set_env_var (context, env_var, env_value);
-      p += len;
-      remaining -= len;
-
-      if (remaining > 0)
-        {
-          g_assert (*p == '\0');
-          p += 1;
-          remaining -= 1;
-        }
+      flatpak_context_set_env_var (context,
+                                   split[0], split[1]);
     }
 
   return TRUE;