DuPont Nutrition & Health and a broad coalition of scientists, dietitians, food producers, environmentalists, seaweed farmers and consumers have applauded the decision by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support carrageenan for continued use in US organic foods.

Carrageenan is widely accepted and used as an ingredient in many foods, thanks to its combination of attributes and breadth of functionality. The company points to an independent survey of food formulation professionals which confirmed that carrageenan was the most accepted ingredient for certain foods, surpassing all other surveyed ingredients, including those also approved for use in organic products.

In a notable win for carrageenan, the agency considered a 2016 recommendation by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to remove carrageenan from the national list of ingredients allowed in organic foods but ultimately decided to renew carrageenan.

In making this decision, the USDA considered the scientific evidence and stakeholder comments, ultimately reaffirming carrageenan’s safety and value as a food ingredient. In the Federal Register notice, the USDA stated that “carrageenan continues to be necessary for handling agricultural products because of the unavailability of wholly natural substitutes. Carrageenan has specific uses in an array of agricultural products, and public comments reported that potential substitutes do not adequately replicate the functions of carrageenan across the broad scope of use.” 

Carrageenan is the only approved non-synthetic stabilizer currently allowed for use in US liquid organic infant formula. A report by the United Nations’ Joint Food & Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food concluded that carrageenan is safe for use to stabilize and keep nutrients disbursed correctly in infant formula.

“We commend the USDA for taking seriously its responsibility to review the NOSB recommendation and make a decision based on the facts and science,” says Michiel van Genugten, global product line manager, Seaweed Extracts & Colors. “This will allow organic food producers to continue to use a safe, versatile ingredient they rely on, and for consumers to enjoy the foods they know and love.”

He told FoodIngredientsFirst: “We’re seeing more consumers join the conversation about carrageenan and speak about it positively.”

“In online conversations just in March, consumer sentiment for carrageenan was nearly 60 percent positive. And that’s because there are so many intriguing topics to discuss from its role helping to provide a reliable source of income for more than 100,000 families in the Philippines to its health benefits to the fact that no other ingredient can do what carrageenan does,” he notes.

While carrageenan is a proven-safe (even the NOSB confirmed carrageenan safety in its recommendation), sustainable and very valuable ingredient, misinformation continues to proliferate online. Consumers need accurate information not sensationalism at their fingertips so they can make the best decisions for their families, he says.

“We continue to find new uses for carrageenan and other seaweed-based products in our portfolio. As far as carrageenan’s inclusion in NPD moving forward, we see a lot of potential – this decision confirms how essential carrageenan is in organic food like plant-based milk drinks, vegetarian options and many more food applications such as dairy beverages and bakery fillings,” van Genugten continues. “Its texture, structure and product stability attributes can enable reductions in sugar and overall calories, replac the sensory experience that is lost when sugar and fat are removed, or add creaminess and body to low solid/ low-fat beverages. And even beyond typical food applications, carrageenan offers benefits in personal and hair care products, supplements and wellness solutions that are aligned with consumer needs.”

During the comment period preceding the NOSB recommendation, scientists, professional food formulators, representatives of industry and from NGOs, seaweed farmers, and consumers testified to carrageenan’s ongoing value as an ingredient in organic foods and as an industry that employs 75,000 family seaweed farmers in developing economies around the world:

Carrageenan is sustainably harvested and readily available; some carrageenan alternatives have patent restrictions that limit suppliers.

Reformulation that eliminates carrageenan may alter color, odor, and taste in some products and could add significant costs.

Seaweed farming is one of the most environmentally friendly types of aquaculture: It uses no arable land, freshwater, chemical treatments or fertilizers.

Carrageenan farming has helped lift families out of poverty and improved the economic well-being and social fabric of thousands of communities in countries across Southeast Asia and Africa.

There are decades of research affirming carrageenan’s safety as an additive. Even the NOSB acknowledged that there is no credible evidence showing carrageenan is unsafe, stating: “We find that the body of scientific evidence does not support claims of widespread negative human health impacts from consumption of carrageenan in processed foods.”