I really wish I wasn’t writing this post right now. The information I am about to share with you will likely make you pretty angry and it should. Do you consume any of these brands in the picture below (Silk, Starbucks, So Delicious, Horizon, Zico, Blue Diamond, Pacific, Carnation and Tempt)? My guess is that you probably do.
A few days ago, the Cornucopia Institute released a Video by it’s co-founder and Senior Farm Analyst, Mark Kastel and a full PDF Report that shares some very startling practices between the USDA and the NOSA “National Organic Standards Board”- the agency that regulates organic food. This report explains the details behind several allegations of corporate corruption that has allowed several agribusinesses to use chemicals in organic products without sufficient regulatory oversight.
A Carcinogen Hiding In Organic Dairy & Dairy Substitutes
One of the findings has to do with a carcinogenic ingredient all these products have in common, a substance derived from red algae called carrageenan. Carrageenan can be found in most milk substitute products, infant formula, deli meats, cottage cheese and some flavored coconut waters regardless if the product is certified organic by the USDA. I know so many people who get soy lattes from Starbucks to avoid having to consume conventional milk products, so I thought it would be pertinent to include them here on the list below, since they and many other coffee shops use soy milk that contains carrageenan.
I’ve had my doubts about carrageenan for a long time – it started in 2011 when my cousin from Ohio sent me a Facebook message asking about whether or not it was ok to feed store bought almond milk that contained this additive to her toddler aged son. Since I didn’t have all the facts, I erred on the side of caution and suggested she make her own almond milk from scratch only.
Now, there are sound reasons and a plethora of studies that the Cornucopia Institute has summarized that has made all my hunches come true. Their report detailed out several specific studies that showed that food safe and approved “undegraded” carrageenan is containaminated with the non-approved degraded carrageenan. Furthermore, when you ingest the undegraded version, it actually starts to degrade in the gastrointestinal tract and in the liver and turn into a carcinogen, resulting in a serious inflammatory agent that also can cause intestinal abnormalities. Because of this reason and other studies conducted the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Research Council of the United States both have determined that carrageenan is a carcinogen – a substance that causes cancer.
How In The World Can A Carcinogen Be Allowed Into Organic Food?
This is where the Cornucopia Institute does a extraordinary job showing you the timeline of events, lack of regulation, and down right shadiness that all led up to carrageenan’s approval. They show you the series of situations where companies that profit from these ingredients were some of the only reviewers involved in the decision. It’s easy to understand how this can happen, now that organic food companies are being bought by major conventional food companies left and right. Below is a chart taken from the Cornucopia website that shows the relationship big food now has on several smaller organic companies. Please note – This was taken in 2009 and is even worse now, for instance Kraft has since bought Cadbury and so on.
Every time I mention a particular ingredient and it’s harm, I come across opponents to my line of arguments, saying that I am being alarmist or using scare tactics. They love to point out that it’s “food grade” or is safe in “low doses.” Looking at the findings and report on carrageenan, you can see these arguments can be seriously flawed. It reminds me of the times where I discussed the ingredient proplyene glycol in Panera Bread’s salad dressings and TBHQ in Chick-fil-A’s sandwiches. Just like the NOSB has accomplished with the USDA, the FDA also has continuously approved countless chemicals to be added to our food in a low doses. Does anyone really know what the cumulative effect of these additives is over time? Our soil is already depleted of several vitamins and minerals and the nutrition content of our food is declining every single year. How can we afford to put these chemicals in our body? Should we let the FDA tell us what percentage is safe? Or should we use our common sense and decide as a collective group not to consume these additives and chemicals?
I don’t know about you but I feel personally duped by carrageenan. I assumed that once a product was certified organic like Pacific Almond Milk, that it was perfectly safe to drink. I’ve even recommended this product and some others that contained carrageenan here on this site. I’ve since cleaned up my ingredient lists on my recipes and made sure my pantry staples list does not contain any products with this additive in it. We are all learning here together and I hope you forgive me for ever assuming this substance was safe to consume, because it is clearly not.
What You Can Do Instead
Milk substitutes are wildly popular and something many people consume almost everyday, so it’s important that if you were relying on one of these products above to start making your own milk or find another substitute. It’s so easy to make your own.
Check out my books The Food Babe Way and Food Babe Kitchen for nut milk recipes and strategies you can use to break free from the toxins in your food! My recipe for cashew milk takes 1 min and super easy to make!
Even though Cornucopia estimates they are close to 300 chemical additives approved to be used in organics, there are still thousands approved for conventional products. The facts presented here should not discourage you to eat less organic food, but to encourage you to fight for its regulations and ultimate safeguard. I urge you to watch the Video by Mark Kastel and read the Full Cornucopia Report when you have time and to spread this information to as many people as possible – Please feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter and your own blogs.
In The Best of Health Always,
Food Babe
P.S. Check out Cornucopia’s new shopping guide to find out which products do and do not contain carrageenan (Tree of Life, 365 Brand Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s (cold section) are a few).
8/19/2014 Update: In response to this blog post and your activism, Whitewave committed to remove carrageenan in 2015, but has not been completed yet.
Wow – wow wow wow! The food system in our country is unreal. 🙁
OMG…now what do we do?
Hi, I want to say good post, but it made me sad at the same time. But I don’t want to be ignorant!! So, thank you for sharing!
So, I have some learning to do con carcinogens, and you mention it is mostly in milk subsittute products and you also list Zico Chocolate – is it just the milk part of the Zico Chocolate drink, it isn’t all the Zico coconut waters across the board?
I know it would be best to get whole young thai coconuts for my morning smoothies, but where I live they are not abundant, and for the same price a a young thai coconut I can get a liter of Zico and know that it isn’t rancid and how much I am getting from the coconut.
Just curious – thanks for sharing. I pinned your article! 🙂
You are welcome Kristen. I only found carrageenan in the Chocolate Zico… but I’d always check all labels just to be sure. Regular Zico should be find since it is only just coconut water. My favorite brand of coconut water is Harmless Harvest. It’s 100% Organic & Raw and hasn’t been heated in processing … it’s the only thing close to drinking straight from a young coconut. You really can tell the difference. Good Luck!
Oh wow, I will look for the Harmless Harvest CC water. What an appropriate brand name!
And, good to know it will be listed on ingredients….I guess for a moment I thought it was ‘hidden’ in the foods.
Oh, also. It would be really great if you could make your Pantry List pinnable to pinterest!! What a great source!
Ok will do – Thanks for the suggestion!
We use Pacific Foods Hemp Milk now since we can’t have any nut based food/drink at Miles’s daycare (the Hemp milk doesn’t have carrageenan). He likes it a lot. After reading up about carrageenan, I started to notice it was in tons of foods… not just milk substitutes. Ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, you name it. I’ll still drink a soy milk with the additive in it, but I am a lot more aware now. There are so many products that contain it that are regularly consumed that “food safe” can’t really be that safe.
Curious – why are you still drinking Soy milk?
Only in cereal. It’s the one that tastes the best for the cereal. Bad, I know, but haven’t found a different one to switch to that I like as much yet.
I’ve been leery of the packaged almond milks too because of all the additives. We gave up dairy a few weeks ago and have been using Eden Soy Milk (Original) for cereal. Any feedback on this brand would be appreciated!
Great brand. But I personally don’t drink Eden Soy Milk or any soy milk for that matter. I like making my own nut milk, there’s nothing like it!
What is the problem with soy milk if its organic and GMO free and if it doesn’t contain carrageenan?
Well. Damn. We drink Pacific Natural Almond Milk everyday.
Kiley – I love when you comment. That’s all.
The food system makes me sad. I use several of those products and thought that was a safe additive. However, I guess it is getting harder and harder to eat anything not homemade, however I am going to have to slowly find alternatives as I cannot add more to my list of homemade. We eat pretty well and unfortunately I can afford to buy the good, local foods our family eats, but I don’t have time to make every single thing from scratch with 4 kids in my house. So I guess I have to decide which compromises I am willing to make to make life work in our house.
That should have read “fortunately I can afford…”
Lisa – good luck in finding a store bought alternative… or maybe there is a place in town that will make it fresh for you? Now that would be a good business – fresh made nut milk to your door each week.
Thank you for sharing this! I have found that carrageenan is in a lot of different ice creams but was unaware that it might be in soy milk! I will have to go home and look at those lables tonight.
Funny, After going off milk from lactose issues, I noticed that I was still having intestinal issues with products that contained carrageenan. While it was “almost” impossible to find non-milk products without it, I was able to almost eliminate it from my diet. It has to be WAY WAY down the list for me to be able to tolerate. And with this information, I will now cut it out completely!
THANK YOU FOOD BABE!
You are welcome Kamma – Glad you find the culprit, spread the word.
It’s so funny you posted this because I’ve been drinking almond milk lately (Blue Diamond and Pacific) as well as coconut water and noticed this ingredient. I kept meaning to look it up to see what exactly it is and then this post shows up! I actually have an issue with low potassium so I thought I was doing myself a favor by drinking these, but apparently not! Thanks for the info.
Food Babe to the rescue 🙂
I’ve been reading this blog for a while but never commented, today that just changed. I’m appalled! It seems like it doesn’t matter how much we try, something bad always ends up in our food. I’ve been buying only organic products for the last few weeks in my attempt to eat better and eliminate toxins from my life. Seems like there is something else I’ll need to watch out for! For the longest time I had been wondering why are ‘natural flavors’ allowed in organic food (and avoiding any food that lists them in their ingredients) only to find out that for a food to be certified organic needs only to be 95% organic, so companies have a 5% window to add all the bad stuff. I’m going to be reading every single food label from now on. Keep this blog going!
Yadsia – Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement. I think you would appreciate this post I did on Natural Flavor, if you have already read it…
https://foodbabe.com/2011/12/01/chemical-warfare-with-natural-flavor/
Thanks for this! I’ve been drinking the almond milk. I’m totally going to attempt to make my own now.
GREAT post! Been skeptical about carrageenan for some time now and this put the nail in the coffin. Thanks for spreading the good word – will definitely be sharing this one with my peeps!
I just started reading your blog and wanted to thank you for posting so much useful information. This post came at a good time – right before I hit the market today. We are slowly eliminating all the additives and preservatives, and I will no longer be purchasing items with this ingredient.
Gee, I’m so shocked all of these organic companies would use a filler to increase their profits. I’m even more shocked that they were allowed to do so by the FDA. Wake the Fu@k up! The only way to get true organic food is to make it yourself. That includes growing all the plant ingrdients needed. Raising all of the animal ingredients needed. Profits rule everything. No corporation gives a $hit about the consumer.
The only thing is, coffee is a carcinogin and probably at a lot higher concentration. If you’re drinking coffee with some carrageenan in the milk, it probably wouldn’t make that much difference in you carcinogen exposure level.
Well, after I read this yesterday I raced home to find yep, there is carrageenan in my So Delicious coconut milk. So now what, indeed? I wonder if the Trader Joe’s coconut milk has carrageenan? I shall find out…
Let us know Amber!
Yep – it is in Trader Joe’s coconut milk as well. If anyone knows of any coconut milk that is carrageenan-free, I would love to know!
the trader joe’s coconut milk LITE in a can, wish it was in a carton, does not contain carageen. ingredients: coconut milk, water its the best stuff I’ve found. there is a local asian grocery (actual name) that makes fresh coconut milk but I’m sure theres not one of those on every corner.
I just ordered tropical traditions coconut cream so I can make my own without any additives.
i make my own coconut milk the same way as you can make your own almond milk, I just take a cup of coconut shreds in the blender with 4- 5 cups of water and blend for a minute or 2. Then I strain out the remaining shreds and Viola homemade coconut milk. It can stay in the fridge (i like to store it a a large glass container) for about 5 days. Just think of how much less garbage you create when you Make your own almond or coconut milk. It really is the so easy, just takes a couple minutes. OH and If you want to sweeten the milk you can add dates to the blender. Add coco powder and Presto you have chocolate milk
This post just makes me sad. 🙁 It seems as much as we try to make better choices for our families, we just cannot win. When my kids turned one, we started giving them store-bought organic milk. Then we found out it ‘wasn’t good enough,’ being homogenized, pasteurized, etc. So we switched to soy milk. Woah! Then we found out that was a big no-no. So then we switched to coconut milk (So Delicious or Silk brand coconut). And now this information about the carrageenan. As much as I’d love to make every single thing we eat from scratch, it is just unrealistic. I know because I’ve tried it before, and I turned into a crabby, impatient mom because my days were spent exclusively in the kitchen while my kids pulled at my legs trying to get me to play with them. I was like, “I’m just trying to make us healthy food!” – all they knew was that I was in the kitchen all day long. We eat as much fresh, whole food as possible, but some things, like coconut milk, I simply cannot home-make regularly. Do you (or does anyone) know of a brand of coconut or almond milk that does not have this ingredient? I would love to know. Thanks for the post. 🙂
Angie – I appreciate your concerns with making everything from scratch and I agree – we shouldn’t all be forced to do this all the time. I don’t have kids yet, and it makes me crabby! So I can only imagine how you feel! I’ve since learned that Silk Almond Milk doesn’t have carrageenan and it’s part of the Non-GMO project – so at least they don’t use genetically modified ingredients for that product either. Also I hear Pacific Hemp milk is without carrageenan…Good Luck in finding a good alternative for you and your family. If Cornucopia’s message gets through, hopefully the NOSB and the USDA will remove this ingredient for good from organic products.
Thank you so much for the reply! I’m switching over to Silk Almond for the moment until I find a better solution. Thank you for bringing this topic to light, no matter how disappointing it is!
I came back to this page hoping to find this answer. Angie I am with you. I have three kids ages 5 and under and I make almost everything from scratch already: bread, dressings, marinades, cereals, granola, even chips lol! I gladly paid the expensive price for half a gallon of coconut milk to save myself some time and energy. The thought of adding milk to my list just made me want to cry. I am so glad that for now there is something I can buy in the meantime. Thank you for the update!
FoodBabe, I was just wondering why it is that you don’t like soy products…?
Mandy,
I hope you’ve received a reply about the dangers of soy since your August post, or you looked it up yourself. Soy contains phytoestrogen, which, at one time was touted as excellent for alleviating hot flashes & menopausal symptoms. For the past several years it has been declining in popularity due to the problems with which it is associated. In the personal realm, I was ingesting a weekly gallon of soy milk a few years ago. I noticed extreme fatigue every afternoon, necessitating a nap every day. I received info saying soy could reduce thyroid function, so I switched to almond milk & stopped napping.
it just takes a few minutes to make yourself. In a few years you can teach your kids to make this themselves because it is that easy
Hi! I am brand new to “clean eating” and trying my best to learn……. It is just so overwhelming! Your blog has been great to follow and help those of us ” newbies” learn . 🙂
Can you tell me what brand of coconut water you recommend?
Thanks!
That’s easy! Harmless Harvest – the only raw and organic product on the market. Tastes just like you are drinking straight from a coconut. I’m doing a post on them soon – so stay tuned!
Thanks for this! But just a clarification, I can’t find any evidence that says the WHO has deemed carrageenan a carcinogen, rather that it has labelled its acceptable daily intake (ADI) ‘not specified.’ I work with the WHO quite a lot, so I just thought I’d clarify 🙂
According the WHO, “ADI ‘not specified’ is used to refer to a food substance of very low toxicity which, on the basis of the available data (chemical, biochemical, toxicological and other) and the total dietary intake of the substance arising from its use at the levels necessary to achieve the desired effects and from its acceptable background levels in food, does not, in the opinion of the Committee, represent a hazard to health.”
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241660594_eng.pdf
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/chem/jecfa/summaries/summary68.pdf
That doesnt mean that I wont personally avoid it at all costs! Any level of toxicity is scary to me……And the fact that they recommend that it be removed from infant formula already tells you something. Plus all these studies are from a couple years ago, so I can only imagine what they could find if they reexamined this now.
Hi Yella – Here’s the report from the WHO – International Agency for Research on Cancer on carrageenan – You’ll read that degraded carrageenan was in fact declared a carcinogen. This source was also sited in the full cornucopia report. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol31/volume31.pdf
Hi Vani, Well I think the distinction between degraded carrageenan and undegraded or native carrageenan is an important one. In the cornucopia report, they say both are carcinogenic. In the IARC report, the WHO only says degraded carrageenan is. (That 1983 classification also says “possibly” carcinogenic even for degraded carrageenan…)
What gives?
I find it hard to imagine that the WHO would be in hands of the industry…granted they give too little attention to these kinds of issues, but why would they reaffirm that undegraded carrageenan is safe to consume if ostensibly there is evidence that would say otherwise? Their data on the issue is also extremely outdated…
Of course the fact that degraded carrageenan has seeped into the organic food supply is extremely alarming. Im wary either way…
The point is, that even a “possible” carcinogen should not be in organic food. It’s important to note the distinction, however, it becomes less irrelevant when you look at the study that proves that undergraded carrageenan becomes degraded in the body.
BTW – I love how you want to get into the details…and that you’ve worked with the WHO. Having educational smart readers and a fan base rocks!
Here are the other sources that Cornucopia uses to inform us about the study. I’d love to read them in full when I have time. Because I am a geek like that.
iv Nicklin S, Miller K.. Effect of orally administered food-grade carrageenans on antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immunity in the inbred rat. Food Chem Toxicol 22:615–621. 1984.
v Thomson AW, Fowler EF. Carrageenan: a review of its effect on the immune system. Agents Actions 1:265–273. 1981.
vi Salyers AA, West SHE, Vercelotti JR, Wilkins TD. Fermentation of mucins and plant polysacchairds by anerobic bacteria from the human colon. Appl Environ Microbiol 334:529–533. 1977.
vii Di Rosa M.. Review: Biological properties of carrageenan. J Pharm Pharmacol 24:89–102. 1972
viii Pittman KA, Golberg L, Coulston F. Carrageenan: the effect of molecular weight and polymer type on its uptake, excretion and degradation in animals. Food Cosmet Toxicol 14:85–93. 1976.
I’m a geek too that’s why 🙂 I’m actually at the WHO right now, for their annual World Health Assembly. I am very disappointed that even though they acknowledge the importance of addressing non-communicable diseases like cancer diabetes etc, they really dont pay attention to the role of the food industry in making us sick as much as they do with the tobacco industry for example…
Anyhoo, thats probably why this struck a cord…Also for any of your readers that live in Europe carrageenan is disguised under E number – E407/E407a, much to my dismay…
just checked my silk almond milks and did not find it listed. any other name for it?
With silk almond your ok. Only silk soy milk has it…
Silk’s coconut milk also has it 🙁
How do you store the home made nut milk? How long is it good for? Do you sweeten it? Thanks for this information!
I usually use mine within 3 days, but you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for 5 days or so. I like to sweeten mine with one date, maple syrup or stevia leaf. Date is probably my favorite! Also – a little vanilla or cardamon seed is great too. Remember to shake well before serving.
So disappointed in the American food industry and FDA. Some days I feel like I should have my own farm and do everything from scratch. Looking forward to checking out your food pantry list. I hope a lot of it matches up with what I already use.
Thank you!
Years ago I found myself extremely bloated after meals, accompanied by unbelievable amounts of flatulence that had us looking for a gas-line leak (I’m not kidding). Narrowed it down to the occasional glass of Silk after meals. Did a little research and further narrowed it down to the carrageenan. There were skeptics that said it was completely benign and defended it (just like the pro-corn syrup crowd). Silk must be LOADED with carrageenan in order to be so rich and creamy (regular soy milk like West Soy is much more watery). This additive wreaks havoc on the digestive process and ultimately the colon.
I am no longer a fan of soy ‘as a beverage’ and really only use it for some cooking (and not Silk). Sad part is that people think they are doing better for their health with these ‘healthier’ dairy substitutes.
I never eat soy because of this problem…found out when I was consuming soy protein drinks years ago. Soy can wreak havoc on some people. I copied the following from the IBS website.
“While soybeans have a terrific nutritional profile, and soy foods allow people with IBS to greatly expand their diet in many ways, all beans contain raffinose, a natural complex sugar. The digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract can have trouble breaking this complex sugar apart into simple sugars for absorption. As a result, in the lower intestine raffinose is metabolized by bacteria, and forms carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane; this can cause abdominal bloating and gas. “
NOOOOO! I drink Zico coconut water after my long runs! I just bought 5 of them, and those little suckers are expensive to just toss down the drain 🙁 Wonder if I can return them… Thanks for getting this info out there, Food Babe.
It’s just the chocolate version, however the regular version is made out of concentrate. Did you see my post on coconut water yet? https://foodbabe.com/2012/06/07/choosing-your-coconut-water-harmlessly-a-fashionable-giveaway/
Thanks for posting this. I just saw the link to it on the 100 Days blog comments…. Such a bummer. A few years ago, I tried looking into what carrageenan was, because it was an ingredient in a handful of things I sometimes purchased/considered purchasing (probably almond milk was one of them, I know ice cream was one of them). At the time, I didn’t really find anything substantial. In fact, I remember going back and forth between the grocery store and my house, re-reading it thinking I’d maybe gotten the spelling wrong, making my Googling ineffective. At least there’s info now. I guess I should just trust my instincts to avoid ingredients I don’t know (and use at home — my general guide). Grrrrrr.
I have been avoiding carageean for a couple of years. It is on the list of foods for hidden MSG . It can trigger migraines. Learned to drink water, and occasionally tea.
I really don’t think the USDA is doing much for the consumer anymore. It seems they’re allowing all these terrible chemicals and ingredients in our food that are known to be harmful. Like recombinant bovine growth hormone (which increases the amount of insulin like growth factor 1, which has been associated with colon cancer) in milk, pink slime in meat, and now carrageenan!
I just started drinking almond milk last week (because I’m highly opposed to the treatment of conventional dairy cows and my mother won’t buy organic milk for the house because my family drinks it like crazy and it’s “too expensive”…however I’m only 19 and still in college so I don’t really get to choose.) And I’m disappointed to find that my Almond Breeze has this ingredient.
I sent an email to Blue Diamond about this issue. I am really disgusted by the fact that these companies think that it’s ok to add this to their product just because it’s “approved by the USDA.” Obviously, the profit is more important than the health of the consumer. Silk unsweetened original doesn’t contain carrageenan, [Ingredients:All Natural Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Calcium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum, Natural Flavor, d-alpha-Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Zinc Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D2.] The only differences between Silk and Almond Breeze unsweetened original are the carrageenan in the Almond Breeze, and the Gellan Gum and Locust Bean Gum in Silk. I’ll definitely be researching the 2 different ingredients in Silk.
But I’m definitely going to look into making my own almond milk, because that’s the only way to REALLY be sure that what I’m consuming is safe!
Great article, I LOVE reading about REAL food, and staying educated about what exactly I’m eating. (My friends think I’m crazy!) I’m glad that there are sources, like your website, that are looking out for the consumers! 🙂
WOW! Thanks for writing this post. This was a huge eye opener for me! I came across it as I was sipping on my coffee, which I lightened with none other than Almond Milk from Trader Joes…I’m about to go into my kitchen right now to find out if there is in fact Carrageenan in its ingredients. It’s really frustrating to realize that as more and more people begin to realize the importance of TRULY eating organic and the market for organic products continues to grow, it is continually becoming contaminated by corporate greed. Thanks again for sharing this! My quest to eat 100% whole and natural foods has been reignited, as well as my desire to educate others about why it is so important! 🙂
So, I’ve enjoyed much of what I’ve seen on your blog. This is a disappointment. You have not done thorough research, inflating a myth of extreme risk with carrageenan that has been circulating with extremely little research to back it up. Did you bother searching academic, peer-reviewed journals within the medical community? Apparently, you have not, for there you can find far more evidence showing how carrageenan has actually proved useful in methods of cancer prevention, which would have been the first tip off that perhaps you should double check your references and investigate the source of the information. That study proving that it degrades in the body you mentioned, in fact, proved nothing of the sort, as further studies have shown.
My personal beliefs drive me to eat as ‘clean’ as is possible for my wallet and location, as little processed as possible, largely due to the environmental and associated human costs that come with industrialized food, a desire to support local food producers and vendors, and, of course, treat my own cells with respect. This does not mean indiscriminately marking off all additives as damaging. Rather, it means I research, research and research some more to learn about all aspects of what I eat- where it comes from, what process makes it into the form I’ll be eating it in, how it got to my state let alone my plate and who got it there, what happens once it is in my body and why. It means considering
Carrageenan also refers to a number of edible seaweeds that have been consumed medicinally and for eating pleasure for many, many years along Atlantic shores. Have you heard of Irish Moss the ‘superfood’? The magic seaweed that makes raw whipped cream possible? That can be found all over Jamaica in the form of slightly thick and sweet purportedly aphrodisiac beverages? That would be carrageenan.
For your reading pleasure, a scholarly review of research done on carrageenan: http://dro.dur.ac.uk/5472/1/5472.pdf
Thanks for providing that reading. It was interesting and in no disrespect, it’s only a subset of what the Cornucopia Institute investigated and reported in their comprehensive release of information on carrageenan available at this link – http://www.cornucopia.org/USDA/OrganicWatergateWhitePaper.pdf
You are correct in stating that Irish Moss does contain carrageenan, however carrageenan is extracted from it and isolated. This is where the possible mixing of degraded and undergraded carrageenan can happen. Irish Moss in it’s whole form, only contains about 55% of carrageenan, along with protein and other vital minerals like iodine. But it’s only Irish Moss in it’s whole form that has been researched for cancer benefits because it contains a high dose of iodine.
I fully support the Cornucopia Institute on their research, they wouldn’t have released such a report unless there was a serious concern to our health. The fact that they wrote a letter to the head of the USDA and went to the NOSA “National Organic Standards Board” meeting this month proves they aren’t throwing around unfounded research and facts. The bottom line is that carrageenan shouldn’t be in organic food. Period.
Finally finished my old toothpaste and bought my first ever Toms brand toothpaste. As I was brushing my teeth for the first time with it, I decided to read the ingredients. So sad to see Carrageenan was listed there 🙁 Now I have a whole tube of the stuff……do these companies that promote healthy food and ingredients just genuinely now know about carregeenan, or are they decieveing us? So hard to know who to trust these days….
Ugh, so disgusted to see this is in SO many products. It’s on every label I look at now! I went to Whole Foods today and the 365 Organic Almond Milk does NOT have it. I have a nut allergy and put a tiny bit of Vanilla Soy milk in my coffee…of course the Trader Joe’s has this, but WestSoy does not. So there are some options, you just have to be careful. Thanks for the article.
I knew carrageenan was made from seaweed so I didn’t think anything about it. I’ve been so careful since it was discovered my eldest son couldn’t have anything made with processed corn or soy. I have learned so much since then and we naturally moved to a whole foods diet then so we eat very well since I make the majority of the food we eat from scratch. However, we do buy dairy free milks because my daughter has trouble processing dairy milk. I am such a stickler for reading labels and discarding an item if it even has a hint of something but I never once considered this so I guess it’s time for more studying. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.
This post literally makes me want to cry. A friend of mine told me about this post yesterday and I came to find it. I have three boys all under the age of 4 and they cannot have dairy and I am still nursing so I cannot either. Coconut milk has been my saving grace. Especially the So Delicious brand. It has enabled me to have ice cream and a milk again. Almond milk is just so thin and watery to me. I am not a fan. Ugh. I am thinking a very passionate letter is about to be written to So Delicious letting them know they lost one of their best customers and mom blogging advocate. I am ANGRY! Thank you for the awesome information, even if it does make me mad (not at you of course).
This was a tough one for me too – I used to use many products with carrageenan and even recommended some on this blog. Making my own nut milk is just amazing. It tastes so much better than anything I could by in the store. I would suggest trying and experimenting with different nuts. Good Luck Emily!
I have a 14 month old daugter who is lactose intolerant. She drinks soy milk. After reading this now I’m really worried. Any suggestions?
Homemade nut milk is really best.
Just made my own almond milk based on the video (5 c water)…it seems pretty watery and doesn’t taste like much…is that normal? Also, do you do anything with the strained out almond? Looks like it would make a good almond paste of some sort. I hate to waste things. May try it in granola bars or some sort of baking…just wondered if you had any suggestions. Thanks!
We finished our large cheap tub of vanilla ice cream (with carrageenan and other ungodly things) and vowed to buy no more. After going several weeks w/out ice cream, I finally dusted off the ice cream maker I got years ago to make fresh strawberry ice cream (100 Days recipe), which was yummy.
Now I read “carrageenan” on the ingredient list of the cream I used…seriously? I didn’t even think to check that…I just assumed the ingredient of cream would be, um…”cream”?
I also checked the buttermilk I’ve used for years to make homemade pancakes every Sunday…yep, you guessed it “carrageenan”…uggh. Will have to look for another brand.
Decided to check the website of the (local) dairy to look at their other stuff…while the other brand cottage cheese (Daisy) I usually buy has just skim milk, cream, and salt, this one 18 ingredients. Why does it take 18 ingredients to make what others can make with 3? Unbelieveable!
Stuff like this makes shopping take so much longer!
What about goat milk for young children who can’t tolerate dairy? I found out that my 2 year old son was allergic to dairy AND soy and the Naturopath Dr recommended that he drink goat milk and eat goat cheeses and yogurts. It has more calcium than all the other dairy substitutes and is tolerated much better than any other “milks”. Some of them seem to be lacking protein, calcium, fats, or other essential vitamins that young children need for proper development.
Comments?
Hi I actually posted on So Delicious FB page and this is their reply posted below
So Delicious Dairy Free Hi Michelle! Thank you for sharing your concern. We take food safety extremely seriously, and we always want to deliver the highest quality products. The FDA, Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization have deemed undegraded carrageenan safe for consumption, and this ingredient has been widely accepted and used in food production since the 1930s. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which has included undegraded carrageenan on its approved list of ingredients since the mid 1990s, completed another extensive review of undegraded carrageenan in May 2012, and they concluded that undegraded carrageenan is safe to continue using in organic products. When new consumer concerns about this ingredient surfaced, we began taking proactive steps on our own to assess its use in our products. We believe that the scientific literature overwhelmingly concludes that undegraded carrageenan is safe to eat. Based on our review of the literature and the NOSB’s recommendation to continue to allow its use in organic production, we feel that undegraded carrageenan continues to be a safe ingredient to use.
I looked for this anwer but didn’t see one! How long will homemade almond milk be safe to drink if refrigerated? I also have 4 kids and seem to always be short on time. Would much prefer to be able to make several days worth at once rather than try to make it every morning!
Hi Foodbabe!
I just came across this article and was wondering if you know about this…Almonds coated with engine fuel http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/autism/almonds-health-salmonella-food-pasteurizatio/
So I am wondering what kind of almonds you use to make your own almond milk. Right now we drink alot of almond milk due to food allergies. Also, I don’t see carrageenen in Trader Joes refrigerated almond milk. Is there another name for carrageenen? Thanks for your help!
First of all, I totally agree with you! I do have another take on it for the people out there you mentioned who think that you’re being “an alarmist”. This is America. As a nation, we are known for eating way too much food. Just because companies consider something to be “safe in small doses” does not mean that the majority of the country is eating the recommended one serving of whatever product has these ingredients (and how many of these products that people consume every day have these “small doses”). I think this should be a consideration when they add these things to our food as well (“How many ‘servings’ of this product does the average American eat in one sitting?”). Most Americans don’t eat 1/2 a candy bar or 1/2-1/3 of the snack sized chips bag and so on. So when you take into account how many foods people consume throughout the day that have “small doses” of harmful ingredients and the fact that most Americans eat more than 1 serving at a time, “small doses” doesn’t turn out to be so small.
I’m so angry right now!So disappointed in the American food industry and FDA.We are doing at home a huge effort to eat safe and healthy because as everybody know it’s pricey to eat organic and then you found that those organic products are not safe at all.I feel lost.Thank you for sharing this info.
I just discovered Tropical Traditions, they sell organic coconut cream concentrate so you can make your own milk by mixing 1 tsp to 6 oz water, there are no additives, just 100% coconut cream concentrate. It isn’t cheap, but it has 192 servings per jar so it should last a while! They also have handmade coconut oil and red palm oil from Africa.
you can also just purchase coconut shreds from your local health food store, add water and blend. I have also purchased very tasty coconut shreds from Nuts online
I read that carrageenan has two forms and that the non toxic is traditionally not used in foods?!
Do you have a legit article that confirms this finding as their isn’t one in your post?!
hi, thanks for the info in the article “Watch Out For This Carcinogen In Your Organic Food”. which left me puzzled since I feed my kids Horizon Organic milk I really do not know what to give to drink as far as milk. can you please tell me of a good choice of organic milk? thanks
So i have to have some type of soy milk because I am extremely allergic to lactose. I do not like the lactaid brand. What kind of milk should I drink if Silk milk is bad for me?
I would also like a milk recommendation. My daughter drinks tons of it and I almost always buy the Trader Joes Organic, occasionally the Horizon Organic and once in a blue moon Alta Dena.
I’m so confused and hope you can help. I haven’t read through all the comments and my answer may be there, I’m not sure. So I apologize if this is a repeated question. I have a two year old that I give Horizon Organic Whole Milk and I read the ingredients and could not find “carrageenan” in the ingredient list. I also drink Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla Milk and also do not see “carrageenan” on the ingredient list. Do you know if it’s still in their products? I definitely do not want to be consuming this or have my child consume it. I’ve heard something like if it has less than 5% the FDA doesn’t require it listed??? So, do you know? Also, what would some better alternatives for us be?