Additives
Carrageenan (E407): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Moderate
Thickener / Gelling Agent · Thickener
Extracted from red seaweed. Controversial - some studies link degraded carrageenan to gut inflammation in animals. EFSA and FDA consider food-grade carrageenan safe but some researchers call for removal from infant formula.
- Category
- Thickener / Gelling Agent — Thickener
- Typically used in
- Infant formula, dairy products, deli meats, plant milks
- Regulatory status
- Approved EU/USA/UK. Safety contested for infant formula.
- Concerns flagged
-
Gut-microbiome effectsInflammation link
Scrannr flags Carrageenan automatically when you scan a barcode.
Sources
Where this comes from
- EFSA (2018) — Re‐evaluation of carrageenan -E 407- and processed Eucheuma seaweed -E 407a- as food additives https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5238
- Viennois et al. (2024) — Dietary Carrageenan Amplifies the Inflammatory Profile, but not Permeability, of Intestinal Epithelial Cells from Patients With Crohn's Disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12069985/
- Martínez-Augustin et al. (2024) — Carrageenan in the Diet: Friend or Foe for Inflammatory Bowel Disease? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11174395/
Products
Products containing Carrageenan
We're building product pages that show real UK products containing Carrageenan, using Open Food Facts data. They'll appear here soon — in the meantime, scan any barcode with the Scrannr app to check for it instantly.
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