Carrageenan sounds harmless enough at first glance: a derivative of red seaweed used as a thickener, stabilizer or emulsifier in many dairy foods and dairy alternatives.
But research has actually linked carrageenan to increased inflammation in the body – particularly gastrointestinal inflammation which can cause colitis-like disease and tumor promotion. Yikes!
The really scary thing is, carrageenan is found in SO MUCH of what we eat, even organic foods and other favorites of many “healthy eaters.” While it’s probably not harmful in very small amounts, if you’re relying on carrageenan-containing foods regularly, you may be putting your health at risk.
Here are just a handful of popular foods that contain carrageenan, as well as some better alternatives that do not.
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CONTAIN CARRAGEENAN |
DO NOT CONTAIN CARAGEENAN |
Chocolate Milk
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Chocolate Milk
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Cottage Cheese
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Cottage Cheese
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Sour Cream
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Sour Cream
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Almond Milk
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Almond Milk
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Soy Milk
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Soy Milk
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Coconut Milk
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Coconut Milk
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Coffee Creamer (non-dairy)
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Coffee Creamer (non-dairy)
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Eggnog
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Eggnog
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By no means is this an exhaustive list. There are MANY other prepared foods, dairy foods, non-dairy alternatives, juices, etc – both organic and conventional – that contain carrageenan.
Here’s a very extensive shopping guide to help you avoid products with carrageenan.
In general, the best ways to minimize your exposure to carrageenan are:
- Limit packaged and processed foods.
- Read ingredients lists and choose brands that do not use carrageenan.
- Make food from scratch when possible (like almond milk – it’s easy!)
16 Comments
Melanie
November 11, 2013 at 12:36 pmThat’s really interesting. I always assumed it was natural and harmless. I use xanthan gum as a thickener to make frozen yogurt. Should I be concerned about that too?
Amelia
November 11, 2013 at 2:27 pmAs far as I know, xanthan gum is not considered to be a risky thickener so it’s a good option for home-recipe thickening.
Debbie
November 26, 2013 at 10:32 amSO MUCH FOR THE MYTHS
CONSIDER THE FACTS ON CARRAGEENAN FOR A CHANGE
Q. What is Carrageenan??
A. Carrageenan is a naturally-occurring seaweed extract. It is widely used in foods and non-foods to improve texture and stability. Common uses include meat and poultry, dairy products, canned pet food, cosmetics and toothpaste.
Q. Why the controversy?
A. Self-appointed consumer watchdogs have produced numerous web pages filled with words condemning carrageenan as an unsafe food additive for human consumption. However, in 70+ years of carrageenan being used in processed foods, not a single substantiated claim of an acute or chronic disease has been reported as arising from carrageenan consumption. On a more science-based footing, food regulatory agencies in the US, the EU, and in the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) repeatedly review and continue to approve carrageenan as a safe food additive.
On June 11th, 2008, Dr. Joanne Tobacman petitioned the FDA to revoke the current regulations permitting use of carrageenan as a food additive.
On June 11th, 2012 the FDA denied her petition, categorically addressing and ultimately dismissing all of her claims; their rebuttal supported by the results of several in-depth, scientific studies.
If you would like to read the full petition and FDA response, they can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResults;rpp=25;po=0;s=FDA-2008-P-0347
Amelia Winslow
November 26, 2013 at 10:47 amCarrageenan has been proven unsafe and outlawed in other countries. That the FDA deems something “safe” does not comfort me one bit. They also allow over 10,000 chemical additives in food – only a few of which have actually been studied – and routinely claim all sorts of other ingredients are “safe” when research suggests otherwise. I know of Dr. Tobacman’s research and believe it is valid.
Ilana
February 10, 2014 at 8:28 amThis is a great list- thanks so much for the resources. I just found your blog and now you have a new local reader! I’m in the LA area. 🙂
Ilana
February 10, 2014 at 8:28 amSo much I mean.
Amelia Winslow
February 10, 2014 at 7:50 pmSo glad to have connected! I love having local readers 😉
Melissa
March 6, 2014 at 12:17 pmDebbie aka Debbie Young is posting the FAQ talking points from Ingredient Solutions Inc. on any site that dares call carrageenan into question. Ingredient Solutions just so happens to be the world’s largest carrageenan supplier, by the way, and she just so happens to be listed as an author for them. Interesting, isn’t it?
Iszy
May 31, 2014 at 7:18 amI really hope more information about carrageenan can get out there and make a real customer backlash about how ubiquitous it is in so many foods out there!
As part of the percentage of people who have extreme/painful reactions when I eat foods containing carrageenan, it is extremely frustrating to 1) see it in everything, 2) have people/companies dismiss my painful cramps, gas, bloating, and food-poisoning like diarrhea when I do accidentally consume carrageenan, 3) that people will say stupid things like “well, you can’t make ice cream without it.” – that’s a lie, because not only have we done so for decades, and not only can anyone at home, but Haagen Dazs does, and Breyer’s used to before they were bought by Unilever. It’s NOT necessary at all, it’s a cheap shortcut to make more profits with inferior products.
Even if the FDA never pulls its head out of its ass and bans the stuff, it should at least require a warning: “CONTAINS CARRAGEENAN” the same way they do with nut allergies.
lej
September 5, 2014 at 9:08 amI wonder if this is what is give my 4 year old daughter loose stools/diarrhea. She started school this week and I bought big container of Kirkland’s Chocolate milk for her school lunch. And it’s only been three days and I have noticed very loose stools whenever she goes to the restroom. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint it but I’m pretty sure this is it because I prepare her lunch and these is nothing really new in it. She also has peanut and soy allergy so I stress alot about what she eats. Thanks!
Lisa
May 3, 2015 at 9:54 pmI have been transitioning my son from a hypoallergenic toddler formula to almond milk. For a while I was making it myself, but my blender broke and I decided to just buy from the store. About that same time, my son started getting terrible eczema. I thought he must be somehow getting dairy (he’s allergic). But for a week I was super careful with everything he ate and the rash was just getting worse. It covered *everything* and he was tearing himself up scratching. It was awful. It finally dawned on me the only thing that had changed was the milk. I looked at the label and researched the ingredients. What I’ve now read about carrageenan makes me certain that is the culprit. He’s only been back on the homemade milk today, but already he’s doing better. The rash is calming down a bit, and he’s not crying and itching in his sleep. I wish doctors could at least give a heads-up to parents of kids with allergies. Maybe it really is “harmless” to most people like Debbie claims, but people can be allergic to anything. This seems like it should at *least* fall into the same category as dairy, eggs, strawberries…. things that all moms are told to watch out for.
Lynne Kopac
April 30, 2016 at 1:00 pmHi Amelia, nice site. However, you need to update your carrageenan list. So Delicious products do NOT have carrageenan in them anymore. I use their cashew, almond, and coconut milks, in addition to their unsweetened plain coconut-milk-based yogurt. I checked all the labels this morning — no carrageenan. Thanks! Lynne, 04/30/16
Amelia Winslow
May 2, 2016 at 12:19 pmHi Lynne, thanks for your comment. Are all of these products you mention Organic?
Brenda Russell
November 21, 2017 at 12:05 pmWe first noticed the ill effects of carrageenan when my husband consistently became ill (stomach upset) after eating ice cream with it in it. Once I became alert to the fact that it was making my husband ill, I started reading labels more carefully, and I found that it is sometimes used in chicken and other foods. Two days ago my husband became ill, and we had no idea what it could be. This morning I poured myself a glass of milk and thought the consistency was a bit strange (viscous), so I looked at the ingredients and, to my surprise, it contained carrageenan (and other additives). My husband had used that milk on his cereal two days ago. Mystery solved! Since neither of us want to deal with unnecessary inflammation, we will not be buying that milk anymore. Now we are aware that we need to be even more vigilant about reading food labels.
Tiffany
March 19, 2018 at 2:27 pmSilk and Horizon have removed Carrageenan from their products as well! I use both. Carrageenan triggers awful migraines for me unfortunately!
Amelia Winslow
March 21, 2018 at 12:22 pmThanks for the update, Tiffany!