DuPont Nutrition & Health Supports USDA Carrageenan Decision
Decision to include carrageenan in organic foods affirms safety and value of the ingredient
DuPont Nutrition & Health and a broad coalition of scientists, dietitians, food producers, environmentalists, seaweed farmers and consumers applaud the decision by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support carrageenan for continued use in US organic foods.
In a notable win for carrageenan, the agency’s decision rejects a 2016 recommendation by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to remove carrageenan from the national list of ingredients allowed in organic foods.
In making its decision to reject the NOSB’s recommendation, 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.” The USDA concluded renewal of carrageenan to the National List “will avoid potential disruptions to the organic industry and the public.”
Carrageenan is widely accepted and used as an ingredient in many foods, thanks to its combination of attributes and breadth of functionality. An independent survey of food formulation professionals 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.