Cornucopia Institute Asks FDA to Remove Carrageenan from Food Supply
The Cornucopia Institute (CI) has issued a report that questions the safety of
food-grade or undegraded carrageenan, “a common food additive extracted
from red seaweed.” Titled “Carrageenan: How a ‘Natural’ Food Additive is
Making Us Sick,” the report claims that animal studies “have repeatedly shown
that food-grade carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher
rates of intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors.”
Distinguishing between undegraded and degraded carrageenan—which the
report describes as “a potent inflammatory” processed with acid instead of
alkali—CI emphasizes that even the food-grade version poses a health risk to
consumers who ingest the additive in a wide variety of products, including
dairy and dairy alternatives, deli meats, and prepared soups and broths. In
particular, the report points to a 2001 literature review published by the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences that purportedly warned
against “‘the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet’ due to
evidence that ‘exposure to undegraded as well as degraded carrageenan was
associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms.’”
“A convincing body of scientific literature shows negative effects caused by
food-grade carrageenan,” states the report, which faults the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for ignoring recent research in favor of industry-funded
studies. “Moreover, scientists are concerned that the acid environment of the
stomach may ‘degrade’ food-grade carrageenan once it enters the digestive
system, thus exposing the intestines to this potent and widely recognized
carcinogen.”
As a result, CI has since written a formal letter to FDA, asking the agency to
reevaluate a 2008 citizen petition that sought to remove carrageenan from
the food supply. Disputing FDA’s June 11, 2012, decision to deny the petition,
the letter argues that FDA did not consider all of the available scientific
literature and ultimately failed to detect alleged biases in studies funded by
industry interests. According to CI, the agency not only dismissed industry
data on the contamination of food-grade carrageenan with degraded
carrageenan, but misinterpreted an industry-backed study allegedly showing
“consumption of food-grade carrageenan leads to exposure to degraded
carrageenan in the intestinal tract.”
“[T]here are no benefits to society or public health from adding carrageenan to foods or beverages. It is added solely to change the texture of food,” concludes the letter. “Already, some food manufacturers are replacing carrageenan with other thickeners and stabilizers, or eliminating thickeners altogether and asking their consumers to shake the product before consumption. If carrageenan is prohibited, the food industry will quickly adapt.”
