Boiled ham. Vanilla sauce. Liver pâté. Carrageenan, i.e. E407, is not unusual to find in ordinary food. The consistency agent has received a lot of attention in recent years. Many who are concerned refer to research. Some studies indicate that carrageenan and similar consistency agents used in ultra-processed food can be negative for our intestines. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority believed that they knew too little about the research to be able to advise people on what they should and should not eat. Earlier this year, they therefore requested a survey of eight consistency agents from the Science Committee for Food and the Environment. People are concerned. In the order, they point out that individual studies indicate that, among other things, carrageenan can be negative for digestion. – We have selected these consistency agents because people have asked questions about whether they can have a negative effect, says Are Tømmerberg Sletta, section head for chemical food safety in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. The eight consistency agents in the survey: E407 – carrageenan E407a – processed Eucheuma seaweed E466 – sodium carboxymethyl cellulose E401 – sodium alginate E406 – agar E412 – guar kernel flour E415 – xanthan gum E418 – gellan gum Carrageenan (E407) A gel-forming type of dietary fiber extracted from algae. Added to foods to improve consistency. Approved for use in food in the EU and EEA. Has caused great debate, partly because experiments have shown that the immune cells in the intestines of mice were affected when the mice ate carrageenan. It is still uncertain whether this is relevant for humans. Turned over NOK 9 billion worldwide last year. Sources: Large Norwegian encyclopedias and Global Market Insights. Now the Science Committee has done the job of going through all the research available on how the substances affect the gut. – Most of the research has a relatively high risk of systematic bias. This means that it is a bit difficult to trust the results, says Trine Husøy, who led the group that wrote the report. – No reason to be concerned The specialist group found 333 studies that were relevant. But they ended up going in-depth on just 14 of them, because no one else met their criteria. Nor were the 14 studies particularly good, according to Husøy: – The results and conclusions are associated with a great deal of uncertainty, she said when the report was presented on Wednesday afternoon. Six of the studies were about carrageenan. Of these, five were done on animals. The only one that had been done on humans had several shortcomings, according to Husøy. Among other things, only seven people were included. – If you are going to divide it into a control group and a treatment group, you are not left with many people in each group. According to the committee, one thing is now needed: studies that look at long-term use in humans. So, what should the Norwegian Food Safety Authority now say to people who are worried that carrageenan and similar substances can be dangerous for the gut? – Based on the knowledge we have now, there is no reason to be worried. As far as we know, what is on the market is safe, says Sletta of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. He emphasizes that they must follow what comes from new investigations going forward. Listening to the people – remove carrageenan In 2020, the Gastrointestinal Association started an appeal against the use of carrageenan and similar substances. Now over 4,700 people have signed. Several Norwegian food producers have recently removed carrageenan from their products, such as Tine. – Tine made the decision to phase out carrageenan based on a precautionary assessment. We saw that the topic also created interest among consumers and we are of course keen to listen to them, says press officer in Tine, Unni P. Christensen. In many products, carrageenan has disappeared since the turn of the year. In others, the switch is more complicated. These will be on the market after the summer. Tine switches to gellan gum, tara seed flour, carob seed flour and guar seed flour. Two of these are also on the list of funds in the new survey. Nortura has come further. They have removed carrageenan completely from all Gilde and Prior products. Out with carrageenan, in with potato flour – The background for the phasing out is that recent research points in the direction that carrageenan can have a negative effect on the intestinal health of people. Although carrageenan is still a legal additive, Nortura believes there is enough documentation to take precautions in this case, says Guro Waage, Head of Nutrition at Nortura. They are the people behind the brands Gilde and Prior. Guro Waage, Head of Nutrition at Nortura. Photo: Pål Engh First they put tapioca starch in instead. – Now, however, it is no longer in use, and all the carrageenan has been replaced with potato flour from the Norwegian farmer, says Waage.
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Is carrageenan dangerous? After extensive mapping, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority says that E407 is safe – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
