Why would the average consumer decide to switch to organic food? Typical reasons include food of higher quality that is hopefully more nutritious although conventional produce grown locally and picked at the peak of ripeness would no doubt rival the nutrition of organic produce picked early and shipped long distances.
Consumers also generally assume that any food labeled as USDA Organic will not contain any dangerous ingredients or chemicals. After all, buying certified organic food is still the only way to avoid genetically modified ingredients as GMOs are regularly slipped into healthfoods labeled as “natural” and even those containing organic ingredients but less than 70% organic overall.
Based on these assumptions, consumers would likely be surprised and even shocked to learn that a likely human carcinogen that triggers massive gastointestinal inflammation and symptoms in many people continues to be allowed by the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) for inclusion on the list of ingredients permitted in certified organic food – food bearing the USDA Organic label!
This dangerous ingredient, carrageenan, which most consumers are unaware is lurking in so many of their beloved organic products, seems harmless enough at first glance.
Derived from seaweed, carrageenan is a highly processed food additive that has no nutritional function whatsoever.
What it does do is act as a fat replacer or stabilizer in certain types of dairy products, dairy substitutes like soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, and other processed foods.
As you can see, buying lowfat is not a good idea and not just for the fact that you are losing the valuable whole fats that satiate and steady the blood sugar. By opting for lowfat or alternative dairy products, consumers are choosing instead to consume a toxic additive that is a likely carcinogen!
Even Dr. Andrew Weil has been telling people to avoid carrageenan since 2002. Carrageenan is so toxic and inflaming to the human digestive system that this food additive is formally classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) as a potential human carcinogen. Scientists first discovered that carrageenan causes gut inflammation as far back as the 1960′s. Inflammation is a very serious condition as it is a primary symptom in IBS, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, and colon cancer as well as dozens of other diseases.
The hype from the carrageenan industry claims that “food grade” carrageenan is different from the low molecular weight, i.e., degraded carrageenan that is toxic to human cells.
This spin fails to mention that not a single sample of products containing carrageenan that were tested could be said to be free of the degraded form. Some samples contained as much as 25% low molecular weight carrageenan. This testing was conducted as part of a 2003 ruling by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food which required that a maximum of 5% degraded carrageenan be contained in a processed food which includes the additive.
Another problem is that research available since the early 1980′s indicated that even food grade carrageenan is probably converted during the digestive process to the degraded, highly toxic form. More recent research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), pinpointed the exact metabolic process by which carrageenan triggers inflammation. Shockingly, this biological event was found to mirror the way pathogenic bacteria such as salmonella wreak havoc in the gut.
The takeaway for consumers from this very discouraging NOSB ruling is to not take anything for granted just because a product is labeled USDA Organic. It still could be extremely damaging to your health!
Avoiding lowfat dairy and processed dairy substitutes is a very wise course of action. If you have a dairy allergy, learn to easily make healthy nondairy beverages at home that are carrageenan free!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: The Cultivator, News from the Cornucopia Institute, Summer 2012
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{ 113 comments… read them below or add one }
I learned about this ingredient a few months ago. It’s in practically every commercially produced dairy (or dairy-like) product. Blech.
I learned about this ingredient a few months ago. It’s in practically every commercially produced dairy (or dairy-like) product. Blech.
Is this included in the ingredients list?
Yes it is. Click through to first link in the post and see the labels for various coconut and almond milks from the store which list carrageenan.
And it is not just in dairy products! The one deli meat that I have found that didn’t have added sugars or anything; the closest one that I can come to as far as consumption, still has “less than 2% carrageenan!” Ugh.
It seems impossible to get away from. It’s sneaking its way into everything.
You are so right! I just discovered it’s in Applegate Naturals turkey Roasted Turkey Breast lunchmeat. The label says Applegate Naturals, Changing the Meat We Eat. I guess in this case, changing it by adding a carcinogen. Boo-hiss Applegate!
I guess it’s time to write to Applegate.
Try Organic Prairie Family of Farms deli meat. It has very few ingredients, no carrageenan and it’s delicious.
My husband and I have been buying Applegate Organics deli meat for our kids for the past two years. It says in parenthesis “(from seaweed)”, and we just figured they were doing that because it was a better source. I knew about the dangers of carrageenen in dairy, but now I’m right where you are, Mrs. Madel. So disappointing. Sarah – Thank you for posting this article and improving our family’s health.
Glad to see this bc I’ve seen it in a lot of stuff but never realized it was bad for you.
I’ve always seen it, too, but thought it was a good thing because it came from seaweed.
Ugh…one reason to avoid processed “foods”
Completely dont understand why Organic Valley wastes their time with “pasture raised” if they put are putting that crap in their organic, pasture raised heavy cream.
I had no idea. I’ve been using their whipping cream because of their “pasture raised” cows. Isn’t anything safe anymore. Not all of us have time or energy to make our own everything!
Sheesh, who can you trust? All the more reason to make your own milk at home!
Carrageenan is also a hidden source of MSG, often containing or produce processed free glutamic acid.
I wish you would publish more positive things? Like where to find a good grade of meat if you don’t have a local farmer who raises beef on pasture.
I agree with you. Not all of us have access to it, nor the time to make everything ourselves.
The WAPF does that though… Also see her resources page
Is it in cheese, full fat cheese?
*sigh* life gets more confusing each day! Thank you for all your hard work, Sarah! Love your blog!
Probably not full fat. Stay AWAY from lowfat dairy and dairy substitutes!!
Don’t be discouraged people. Staying healthy nowadays takes a savvy consumer. You can’t afford to throw up your hands or you are gonna be road kill. Get educated and make good, informed choices!
I have a very bad sensitivity to this. I couldn’t figure out what it was for the longest time because you usually don’t think about anything in almond milk being terrible. After a bout of gastritis, dairy really bothered me, so I substituted almond milk for a bit. My stomach was a mess. After I tolerated dairy again, my stomach problems went away for the most part (mostly because I stopped drinking almond milk with this in it). When I do have something with this in it, I get abdominal cramps. Recently, I was really upset to find some heavy cream I had been using now has this in it. I couldn’t figure out why I was getting sick after making something with it. In the past, it didn’t contain it and I never got the cramps. When I looked at the side of the bottle and it said “cream and carrageenan,” I was so angry! It was the only cream in my area I couldn’t find ultra-pasteurized and now I can’t use it! This stuff can really mess up an already sensitive GI tract for sure.
I meant that it was the only cream in my area I could find that wasn’t ultra-pasteurized.
Drink fresh, raw milk, from your local specialty market, or from a local farm that sells fresh raw milk. We all drink raw milk, and our kids are SO healthy. If you don’t have access to raw milk, check the WAPF website and see where the closest pasture raised dairy farm is to you. Raw goat milk is also very good for you!
Well, as I mentioned on your blog, it is now in the full fat heavy whipping cream at a well-known “healthy” store. I can’t get raw cream and I live far from some health food stores where there is vat pasteurized cream. So there was one final place I could get standard pasteurized cream (instead of ultra-pasteurized) and now the ingredients are “cream and carrageenan.”
All the more reason to make your own yogurt with full fat milk
@Shannon OH NO!!!!
Saw this ingredient in my Horizon organic heavy cream. It went straight in the trash. Serves me right for not checking in the store.
Hi Sarah, THANK YOU! Wow…now what do we do? I of course just ran to the fridge to look at our milk options in the fridge. So disappointing! Do you know of any brands out on the market that are not cow’s milk that DON’T have it? Thanks for this article…one more thing we need to adjust in our shopping/eating.
Angela
Yes, it is tough out there my friends. YOU MUST GET A COPY OF THE WAPF SHOPPING GUIDE!!!! The WAPF site is down for maintenance right now, but check back .. type in shopping guide in the search box and BUY ONE. They are only $1 and you will avoid all the brand shenanigans with carrageenan etc if you stick to the brands in that booklet.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: The Ingredient Allowed in Organic Food That Can Cause Cancer
westonaprice.org
Sarah – Have you used coconut milk powder like what is sold Wilderness Family Natural to make your tonic? I am having.to choose what I have time to make and thought skipping the whole coconut piece would be a time saver for me.
@ Jennifer: I looked up the coconut milk powder at Wilderness Family Naturals: They list 95% dried coconut milk, 2% sodium caseinate and 3% maltodextrin. On another of Sarah’s posts:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/chicken-broth-no-msg-labels-are-false/
The commenter “Nevra” says that in the book Excitotoxins, sodium caseinate is listed as another name/form for MSG. I think Sarah has also villified maltodextrin, but I don’t recall for sure. Maybe you could write WFN and ask them about this and post their response here, such as what is the source of sodium caseinate and is it just a form of MSG?
pd
There are a number of Applegate meats that use carageenan in their products. Here’s a post I wrote about their meats and how they are not nitrate-free as the packaging would have you believe (another lie):
http://agriculturesociety.com/healthy-living/deceptions-in-the-food-industry-applegate-organic-natural-meats/
Raine\’s last post: Stanford Study on Organics: Manipulating Consumers into Buying GMO Products
Thanks for sharing this, Raine. We have to look for this toxic glop in just about everything!
Yes, boo-hiss on Applegate. Their label says Applegate Naturals, Changing the Meat We Eat. I guess in this case, changing it by adding a carcinogen. Let’s write to Applegate and ask them to stop this harmful practice.
Thank you for this reminder. I was just looking at coconut milk today and it was in there, I didn’t buy it.
Agi\’s last post: Rustic Plum Tart – Pflaumenkuchen, the end of summer
You can make coconut milk at home very easily with some coconut manna from nutiva and water.
Best if you have a vitamix or blendtec blender though. You can also just used dried coconut and water. Same can be done for nut milks at home. 
@Jennifer I have not used it but Annette at Wilderness is VERY picky about the products they carry .. I trust her instincts and am sure that product is excellent.
The coconut milk powder has maltodextrin in it. Isn’t that a sugar?? It also has sodium caseinate added (to keep the oil in the follicle). Not sure what that is but if its from dairy then I can’t have it! I was about to purchase this from my health food store until I saw those to ingredients.
@Jennifer I understand you not wanting difficult posts but they are necessary … I mix it up with positive posts, recipes videos, tips etc but sometimes we have to get into the nitty gritty. There is a war for our health going on after all. We must stay informed.
We were living in WI and had wonderful raw dairy always on hand. We recently moved to Alaska and have no access to raw milk of any sort. I have found eggs from locals but that is it. Our children always had real issues with pasteurized dairy to the point that we didn’t eat dairy at all until we were in WI with the raw milk available. It was truly amazing; the difference in the kids (all of us) enjoying milk with nothing but pure benefits and no horrible rashes, etc.
Since moving to AK, I have been purchasing almond milk and Organic Valley whole (ultra-pasteurized) milk and use it sparingly. I don’t know what to use anymore. I hate that the whole milk is pasteurized (“ultra” at that) and see no benefit to it. Our youngest can’t drink it at all and he loved the raw milk in WI. I’m upset that this junk is found in almond and coconut milk. We have no access to coconuts and almonds will cost a small fortune to ship here but I’m willing to do it if necessary. I’ve never made almond or coconut milk before so I’m not sure where to start with that; will have to look online.
What to you suggest is best if raw milk isn’t an option at all and the stuff on the store shelf isn’t up to par? Are store-bought almond and coconut milk beneficial anyway? They seem too thick to be ‘real’ in the first place.
More of a sidenote question… We do have access to KerryGold butter and can order grass-fed ghee online. Is one better than the other? (I was making our own raw milk butter…. *sigh*)
Thanks so much for all the articles and information you share with us. It’s greatly appreciated!
I would suggest finding pasteurized cream (not ultrapasteurized) and diluting with some filtered water. You can also make the coconut milk tonic if you click on the second link in the post above. Canned whole coconut milk with no additives can be found fairly easily.
Good luck! I did notice on my trip to Alaska this summer how expensive everything is at the grocery store. My heart goes out to you. Do the best you can and I’m sure you will find a way.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: The Ingredient Allowed in Organic Food That Can Cause Cancer
Heather, I don’t know what part of Alaska you are living in, but there are sources of raw milk available. Since it is illegal to sell raw milk here there are places that have cow shares and also those that sell for animal use only. At this time of year the milk is dwindling, but keep checking around. The Mat-Su valleys have quite a few farmers and also down on the Kenai Peninsula. There are homesteaders all over really, but I don’t know about Southeast. I belong to a food co-op that orders from Azure Standard. (Our freight costs about .50-.60 per pound.) You can contact them to find any co-ops in your area. People who order from them may have more sources local to you where you can find some of theses things. A few years ago I spoke with someone at Matanuska Creamery and she told me they feed their cows on pasture and then grain in the winter. It is just regular pasteurized. It’s not the best, but certainly better than the Organic Valley ultrapasturized junk. (The only time I ever got sick on dairy was from some of their half&half). They were selling the cream only at their store in Wasilla by the gallon. I also believe the milk was being sold in the Fred Meyer stores in Anchorage. I haven’t checked in quite a while. (I am hardly ever in that area). There are also many people who raise goats. You might be able to find goat milk somewhere. Check the Real Milk website too. I don’t think the co-operative extension service could help you since it is illegal, but they might direct you to some 4-Hers or to some feed stores that might have some information. Check the bulletin boards up at stores. I hope this is helpful to you.
Where did you find Kerry Gold butter??!!!
Darnit! Another thing to avoid. What could they have used instead? Chia seeds are such a great binder, too bad they can’t grind those up and use them somehow. It would be much healthier, I love Chia!
Thank you for raising the alarm about this horrible garbage, Sarah. It is so important for people to know this.
Shame on the organic board for allowing this to be used in organic foods. Come to think of it, it should not be use din any food.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: A Sacred Food You Can Buy and Enjoy—Red Boat Fish Sauce
Mr. Fishman — Thanks so much for the info on Red Boat Fish Sauce! I love fish sauce — it has a million uses — but, as you point out, it’s darn near impossible to find one made the traditional way. I’ll pick up some Red Boat this weekend.
We love Red Boat fish sauce, too, Linda! It’s delicious!!
Amy Love @ Real Food Whole Health\’s last post: Safe, Traditional Skin Care- A Special, A Giveaway and DIY tutorial!
Thank you so much for this post. Even this former Home Ec Teacher did not know about the toxicity of this ingredient. I am a 14+ year Stage 4A Lymphoma survivor, and am careful about my diet, and now I will screen this out as well. Blessings!
Go Chia—they are great on just about anything!
I had read some time ago that carrageenan was not good for you, but it sort of faded into the background—thank you for the reminder! I will have to be more vigilant in reading labels…and cross a few more things off the list.
So if this carrageenan is found in seaweed – does eating seaweed negatively affect the person? Or is it only a problem in it’s processed form?
Yes, I’d like to know this too. Like what about sushi and nori? Thanks for reminding of this additive Sarah.
There are two common species of nori: Porphyra yezoensis and Porphyra tenera.The first contains abundant amounts of bonafide vitamin B12, but the second contains large amounts of non-bioavailable pseudovitamin B12 (when dried). So the first nori is good, but the second nori is potentially harmful.
Organic Valley does actually have a heavy cream that is just pasteurized (NOT the ultra-pasteurized one) that has just one ingredient: “Organic Grade A Cream (Milk).” I actually handle that pretty well.
But I found out when I picked up my milk last week that my farmer is gonna be offering raw cream now! And it’s an awesome price. YAY!
Slightly off topic… I have read that USDA organic does allow GMO foods. I haven’t found any good report one way or the other. Where did you find your information?
Thanks for posting this, I have always wondered… I used to use almond ‘milk’ because dairy causes some minor upset for me. However, after awhile I grew tired of the creepy ingredient list and decided to just deal with the repercussions of dairy consumption. I find that if I include cultured dairy products throughout the day (a little bit of yogurt, a little bit of cultured cream) then I can enjoy a small amount of raw milk without worry. Now I wonder if my sensitivity to dairy was exacerbated by inflammation from consumption of things like carrageenan in the first place!
I’ve been working on Trader Joe’s to get them to dump carrageenan from their foods. I was told yesterday that TJ’s doesn’t use any chemicals on their carrageenan and so it’s safe. Oh boy! I explained to the woman while it’s nice they don’t use chemicals the problem is still with the carrageenan itself. Please help me out here and land blast them with the dangers of carrageenan. We need to change the outlets because it seems most people are unaware of this harmful useless additive.
Lisa, I completely agree with your comments and feelings, but I scratched my head at the expression “land blast.” What does she mean, I wondered…”land blast, land blast…” and then it struck me: you must mean “lambast”! I hope you don’t mind me pointing this out. I see more and more of these grammar LOLs because people don’t read much any more, and write what they think they’re hearing. Like my friend who used the expression “pur say,” which, again, had me scratching until I realized she meant “per se.” =) That takes the prize so far.
I guess I won’t make that mistake again. It was a little hurtful though that since I made an error that you assume that I’m not an avid reader. My wonderful dyslexic husband gave me the best advice in life; it’s not all about punctuation and correct spelling but it’s more about getting your point across. What was your point? Shaming me in a public forum? Getting a good laugh?
PS. My husband was made to feel stupid throughout his formative years because he had difficulty reading and writing. Our own children also suffer from learning disabilities and that is what has lead me on this path of health. Even though my hubs can’t spell worth a darn or put a paragraph together very well, he has still managed to become COO of a relatively large company.
Very sorry…shouldn’t have said anything. I should have known it would probably cause offense. I don’t mind if people correct my grammar, since getting it right and also knowing other points of view are very important to me, but I do know I’m in the minority in not being bothered by correction. I proofread and edit almost daily at work, so I don’t see it as an issue of sensitivity. I didn’t really assume you weren’t a reader–I just know that fewer and fewer people like to read now, and it becomes obvious in public forums. That was just a general comment.
Yes, anyone can make a mistake, and I did truly find it funny when I came across an expression I’d never heard before, and puzzled and puzzled over it until finally it hit me. But if I could delete the comment, I would. I consider these comment threads to be quite anonymous, and shaming someone in public is the last thing I’d think of or ever do. However, this exchange will make me resist all future impulses to be helpful with grammar when nobody’s asking. Again, sorry for hurting your feelings.
Diane, I find it remarkable that you would make Lisa’s mistake a point of discussion, and in the manner that you did. I would wager money that you are manipulative and mentally abusive to your loved ones.
David, it’s hard to know how to respond to such an accusation, but I have never heard those words applied to me. You can’t know and judge a person by one short paragraph in an anonymous online forum. I made a mistake, I learned from it, and I will keep all such comments to myself in the future. I really did intend to be humorous and helpful, but I see now it was very naive of me to think it would be taken that way.
Diane, I think the key here is to not “scratch your head” so much over other people’s comments. It could very well be causing the female-pattern-baldness and oozy head warts you said you have under another blog post.
Great! Something else I have to worry about now! This never-ending cycle needs to stop! I am sick of the government playing with my food!
I took carageenan out of my diet many years ago. I didn’t discover it for awhile, but just knew I needed all chemicals out of my food. Keeping these things out has been good. I’ve no longer been bothered by aural migraines. I had to track down all forms of msg, which took awhile. It is no longer an issue as far as what I want in my diet. It is more difficult to shop though, even organic foods since it involves label reading if I choose a product I’ve never tried.
People laugh at me and tell me it’s only seeweed. I remember many years ago an entire display at the fair on how wonderful it was, and the kids got to go through a colorful display of items, toothpaste, ice cream etc. and how this product made it so much better for them. That it was so safe, it could be used in your food.
Does anyone know where I can get a full fat cottage cheese? My husband likes to have cottage cheese for lunch because it is as to eat on the road and gives him protein, fat, etc. But every cottage cheese out there has carrageenan in it! I don’t think I have ever seen a full fat cottage cheese anywhere so I don’t even know if it exists!
Kalona Super Natural. It’s awesomely delicious. http://www.kalonasupernatural.com/our-products/cottage-cheese/
I prefer organic whole cottage cheese, but can’t always find it. Daisy Brand has full fat, and good ingredients. I’ve seen it in Walmart but usually try to find it elsewhere as our walmart otherwise does not carry much that I would buy. Your right though, sour cream is easier to find. Cottage Cheese seems to almost always be lowfat.
Also, Fluoride can be added ‘Organic’ produce without indication on the labels.
Ciao, Pavil.
Your title to this blog, “The Ingredient Allowed in Organic Food That Can Cause Cancer” is very misleading and one of the reasons people like you should be taken with a grain of salt. Nowhere in your article and nowhere else is there evidence that carrageenan causes cancer yet you clearly say it can. There’s slight evidence that it *may* but to this point it hasn’t. Your title, while completely wrong, appeals to the people who think, no WANT, to believe that there are evil things out there that the government is allowing to be put in our food, or maybe worse yet, actually putting it themselves into our food. Most of these people are very capable of independent thought and will take what you and other nutrition extremists write as gospel and that frequently isn’t the case. I can’t do much for them, but I can express my ire toward the people such as yourself who continue to instill fear in people for no good reason. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Thank you for this post it was exactly what i wanted to say, this article tricks people who are or are trying to start a healthy eating habits into believeing that they are sick or going to be sick.
Thank you for this post it was exactly what i wanted to say, this article tricks people who are or are trying to start a healthy eating habits into believeing that they are sick or going to be sick.
I have spent a bit of time shopping and reading labels looking for heavy cream. Even with checking out health food stores, and organic and pastured brands, I was unable to find a commercial heavy cream without carrageenan, so I’m waiting to satisfy my whipped cream urges until I can get some raw heavy cream from the farm.
Thanks for posting this article…had no idea! BTW, I love your site. Thanks for all the GREAT info!
So, how much carageenan consumption does it require to be a carcinogen?
It is also added to aloe vera juice and aloe gel which, ironically, is used to heal inflammation in the gut. Sad, very sad.
Yep, just stick with real raw milk from pastured cows!
So frustrating! It seems nothing can be trusted. Carageenan is an ingredient in many Applegate products, which I thought were safe to consume because they’re nitrate-free. I’m really not sure what lunchmeat, bacon or hot dogs are considered “okay” to buy then! Any recommendations from your readers?
Megan\’s last post: Organic or Conventional? 4 reasons to still choose organic
I posted above about Organic Prairie, which is what we buy. It has pastured meat and salt. No additives. And it’s delicious.
Hi Sarah! Thank you, again, for such an informative and eye-opening article! Would you consider writing a post or two or three about how you do it all! I feel so overwhelmed, with two littles under the age of 4 1/2 and one on the way, everyday! I try to cook three meals a day from scratch, but between the laundry, washing and putting away dishes, and other obligations as a parent, I find it very intimidating every time I learn of a new thing that I need to avoid! I have access to raw milk, but sometimes I am so busy and between my kids naps, its impossible even to make the time to pick it up! Clearly…I need help with organization and a general idea of how in the world you do it all!
Understand your problem, we all do most likely. Just do the best you can. Meals don’t really need to be cooked 3 times a day, they can be simple. Plan your regular meals, then take some away and change them to a simplified version. Aiden’s carrots weren’t even cooked for dinner last night. He had baby carrots right out of a bag. We must not get too into perfect, the main concern is nutrition, and whether the child will eat it. Plus, when you do have time, make freezer foods, muffins, waffles, cooked meats, beans, burritos, chicken nuggets, etc. Or cook twice as much, eat half, freeze the other half for a busy day. If you do have to buy things, make sure it’s organic/whole foods. Things that come in a box, that’s what you should cook. Mac & cheese is easy. I can do it all in one pan.
Yes, it does get overwhelming at times with our newfound knowledge. Just incorporate new things slowly, unless as in my case, it’s imperative to do immediately.
I am so glad you posted this article. I too have stayed away from it and was so upset a year ago to see that my almond yogurt contains it. You can easily make your own.
Thanks also to the posters about Applegate. That stinks.
I never trusted the USDA. Not everything with an organic label is good for you.
Carrageenan is not only in plant milks, dairy substitutes, and processed foods it is also in beauty products, pet foods, and toothpaste. Read the labels, its use is widespread. The use of carrageenan should be right up there with GMO….gone!
My son has many life threatening food allergies, and eats a lot of subsitute yogurt, milk, and cheese products. I am depressed now.
Sheryl,
Don’t be discouraged. My neice also has many life-threatening food allergies, namely dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts. A few things I’ve made at home for her are coconut milk yogurt, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk, and dehydrated fruits in place of store-bought ready made snacks. She doesn’t like cheese substitutes so meals are very plain but she has found substitutes for almost anything (her favorite being Sunbutter). It takes very little time to process most of these homemade foods, the yogurt takes a little longer, the milks you soak overnight and blend in the morning after they liquefy. You don’t need a substitute food for everything you yourself eat, make it easier on yourself. Cut down to basics and it isn’t a hard transition.
Much luck
The stuff is even in “heavy” cream and half & half for crying out loud. Why would products normally high in fat need a fat enhancement?
wow i never knew that! can’t wait to move so i canget a cow and goats! can’t drink milk otherwise and cost to much to make almond milk myself.
Thanks for this subject. I stopped all dairy for a couple of years due to severe stomach cramps. Then I tried raw milk successfully. Then discovered carrageenan in cream or any dairy or ice cream would cause cramps again. It is not worth using. If I can’t get raw, Strouds brand doesn’t have it, and some Traider Joes is without it.
I was diagnosed last fall with allergy to carrageenan after ten yrs of digestive issues. I don’t think this is a cure-all for me but avoiding it has gone a long way in preventing daily facial and lip/gum swelling along with some digestive problems. A few months ago, I was shocked that I swelled after eating a crossiant purchased at a chain food store and sure enough, the next morning I read the ingredients – there it was. Also, certain brands of toothpaste contain it. I am trying to research if a “product” has low or no-fat milk as an ingredient, do the ingredients of the “product” have to mention if carrageenan was used in creating the low or no-fat milk used in product. For example if I buy Lact-aid milk and it’s 2% not whole milk. Anyone know?
Also, soft-serve ice cream.
Be a wise consumer. Read labels. Be aware of what you are purchasing.
I wrote to Organic Valley regarding their PASTURED Heavy Whipping Cream and how disappointed I was that it had Carrageenan in it. Following is their response for those who are interested. In the meantime, I have changed to Kalona Supernatural organic whipping cream – http://www.kalonasupernatural.com/our-products/organic-milk/organic-whipping-cream/
Response (Nancy Bruland) – 09/13/2012 02:45 PM
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for contacting Organic Valley.
For quite some time we’ve been actively seeking to reformulate our ultra-pasteurized heavy whipping cream, chocolate milk, eggnog and soy milks in order to eliminate the need for carrageenan. Please note that our traditionally pasteurized heavy whipping cream has always been produced without carrageenan.
We want to let you know that we’re working very hard on the reformulation process and that we’ve engaged this effort not only because consumers want simpler foods with less ingredients, but because it fits with our overall philosophy of producing food the most wholesome way possible.
Thank you again for your comments. Please be assured that we hear you and hope to give you what you desire very soon!
Sincerely,
The Consumer Relations Team
CROPP Cooperative
Organic Valley/Organic Prairie Brands
1-888-444-6455
Here is a link with a more positive note regarding Carrageenan.
Silk’s Pure Almond Milk doesn’t contain this ingredient, so thankful of that!
SO 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.
Q. What has led up to this misrepresentation of the safety of an important food stabilizer, gelling agent and thickener?
A. It clearly has to be attributed to the research of Dr. Joanne Tobacman, an Associate Prof at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She and a group of molecular biologists have accused carrageenan of being a potential inflammatory agent as a conclusion from laboratory experiments with cells of the digestive tract. It requires a lot of unproven assumptions to even suggest that consumption of carrageenan in the human diet causes inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. The objectivity of the Chicago research is also flawed by the fact that Dr Tobacman has tried to have carrageenan declared an unsafe food additive on weak technical arguments that she broadcast widely a decade before the University of Chicago research began.
Q. What brings poligeenan into a discussion of carrageenan?
A. Poligeenan (“degraded carrageenan” in pre-1988 scientific and regulatory publications) is a possible carcinogen to humans; carrageenan is not. The only relationship between carrageenan and poligeenan is that the former is the starting material to make the latter. Poligeenan is not a component of carrageenan and cannot be produced in the digestive tract from carrageenan-containing foods.
Q. What are the differences between poligeenan and carrageenan?
A. The production process for poligeenan requires treating carrageenan with strong acid at high temp (about that of boiling water) for 6 hours or more. These severe processing conditions convert the long chains of carrageenan to much shorter ones: ten to one hundred times shorter. In scientific terms the molecular weight of poligeenan is 10,000 to 20,000; whereas that of carrageenan is 200,000 to 800,000. Concern has been raised about the amount of material in carrageenan with molecular weight less than 50,000. The actual amount (well under 1%) cannot even be detected accurately with current technology. Certainly it presents no threat to human health.
Q. What is the importance of these molecular weight differences?
A. Poligeenan contains a fraction of material low enough in molecular weight that it can penetrate the walls of the digestive tract and enter the blood stream. The molecular weight of carrageenan is high enough that this penetration is impossible. Animal feeding studies starting in the 1960s have demonstrated that once the low molecular weight fraction of poligeenan enters the blood stream in large enough amounts, pre-cancerous lesions begin to form. These lesions are not observed in animals fed with a food containing carrageenan.
Q. Does carrageenan get absorbed in the digestive track?
A. Carrageenan passes through the digestive system intact, much like food fiber. In fact, carrageenan is a combination of soluble and insoluble nutritional fiber, though its use level in foods is so low as not to be a significant source of fiber in the diet.
Summary
Carrageenan has been proven completely safe for consumption. Poligeenan is not a component of carrageenan.
Closing Remarks
The consumer watchdogs with their blogs and websites would do far more service to consumers by researching their sources and present only what can be substantiated by good science. Unfortunately we are in an era of media frenzy that rewards controversy.
I don’t think any of us is in a frenzy nor do most of us pay attention to things that are a trend. I personally was eating a whole foods diet, long before there was a name for it. Smoothies are not a new trend either. In fact, many things are just reintroduced from earlier decades/times.
Thank you for posting this information. I’ll still have to say no to carageenan as it’s still not a natural product to me, causes me severe migraines which I no longer have, and I still have yet to see a full informative article on the exact processing of this product. I don’t think it’s used in it’s natural state hence why so many of us object to it. Many of us prefer our foods either raw, or as close to it’s natural state as possible. For example, milk. I prefer it in it’s natural raw state. Once it’s been through a “process” such as pasteurization, it’s no longer the original product of where it started, and it is no longer beneficial nor contributing anything I need in my diet to stay healthy. So, no matter what studies have been done, what other countries do, and what agencies have approved this product, I still feel it’s not a product I need to add to my food.
I just learned that carrageenan is in some pet foods and can cause them to throw up their food. Check labels.
Sarah- I’m wondering about your thoughts on Xanthan gum which, I sadly noted, appears in some (high quality) coconut creams. I noticed a direct correlation between eating those coconut products and stomach upset…
Guess you won’t get a sponsorship from Applegate Farms.
Way to expose the truth. 
Becky Webb\’s last post: Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
I researched the dangers of carrageenan a about a year ago. My family and I were drinking so delicious coconut milk which contained carageenan. I did not buy it again after finding the dangers of consumption. We now make our own coconut milk which tasted soooo good and I do not have to worry about additives. It is great I can only imagine how many non-biodegradable milk containers we have saved by just filling up mason jars instead:)
I haven`t read through all the posts so not sure if someone already suggested this brand..but I did find one almond milk without this in it : Silk Pure Almond Milk – unsweetened or vanilla with 30/60 or 90 choices.
I just looked at my hormel package of turkey breast and it’s in there too. it says no additives..all natural…ugh.. I”m so disappointed in everything now a days.
Whew! I immediately checked my almond milk and thank goodness it doesn’t have carrageenan on it. Am now checking it on my favorite cream cheese brands. Thanks for this article.
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I have heard that carrageenan is not good for you what about guar gum or tara gum?
I refuse to buy Dean or any Silk products. • Silk soymilk (owned by the nation’s largest dairy, Dean Foods, which has contributed $253,000 to the effort to kill Proposition 37)
There is no valid reason to be against organic food. This article makes it sound like you’re telling people this ingredient is in all organic foods, making organic food sound bad, when this ingredient is in both organic and conventional foods. The USDA organic is allowing this, which is bad. That is what should be pointed out.
Sarah – Can you please ley me know your recommendation on Applegates Turkey Bologna? The package doesn’t appear to have any toxic ingredient, but of course I could be missing something. As much I try to stick with wholesome traditional foods, I’m in search of an alternative. Thank you so much!
rumble, from Hidden Hills, California I want to say, I loved this post. However, it is weird how I ended up on your website. I searched for limousine service bucks county pa on YouTube and ended up on your website. I must say I do like your site and will check back soon. But I need to find the limo I was originally looking for first. Have a happy day! adios.
I noticed recently that Tom’s toothpaste uses this ingredient and looked it up on their website. They claim that it’s all a misunderstanding. Naturally, I tend to err on the cautious side of things and believe they’re lying, but I would still like to hear thoughts?
http://www.tomsofmaine.com/research/ingredients/ingredient-detail/carrageenan
I found it in Food Lion’s store bakery’s croissants. Unfortunately after eating one and I had throat closing event. What worries me is the fact that it’s a natural/inexpensive product so it’s being used like crazy. I never know if it is in restaurant food or wines in addition to it being in a product that is used in another food product……how far back in the process are food producers required to go to identify ingredients. I ate a ceasar salad at Panera Bread and within 10 minutes my tongue swelled. Is it carrageenan or yet another additive…..
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