If you’re even a casual reader of food ingredient labels, chances are you’ve come across something called carrageenan. Derived from nutrient-rich red seaweed, it’s a natural thickener added to tons of different products, from soy milk to ice cream to processed meats—although you'll often find it in meat substitute products aimed at vegans. Carrageenan has been used in packaged food for years without controversy, and the FDA has and still deems it safe. But that didn’t stop WhiteWave Foods, the company behind Horizon cow milk and Silk soymilk, from recently announcing that they're phasing carrageenan out of these products.
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They’re not the only company to be down on carrageenan, either. Yogurt manufacturer Stonyfield Organic beat WhiteWave to the punch, proclaiming in February 2013 that they planned to stop using carrageenan. Both companies say they axed the ingredient because of customer feedback—not because they felt it was unsafe.
Why are some people so down on carrageenan? Over the past few years, food activists have sounded the alarm because recent animal studies have linked carrageenan to inflammation in the gut. “Some research suggests that it impairs glucose tolerance and affects insulin resistance, raising the risk of diabetes,” says Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., a Philadelphia-based nutritionist and author of Blood Pressure Down. While the potential risk exists, it’s not proven; research needs to be done on humans rather than animals to explore the effects of carrageenan consumption further.
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So should you go through your fridge and start chucking all the products that contain carrageenan? Not necessarily. “If you’re super-concerned with eating clean, you may want to cut down on foods that contain it or give it up all together,” says Brill. “But it’s in so many products, it’ll be hard to avoid. And also, whatever thickening additive is brought in it might be even worse for you.” A better idea: Just avoid processed food as much as possible. That way you'll minimize your risks associated with consuming carrageenan—or any other additive.
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