Demystifying Carrageenan

Carrageenan has received some bad press in the past. We're here to set the record straight on this all-natural, consumer-friendly ingredient. 

What is Carrageenan?

Red and brown seaweed are the key raw materials from which carrageenan naturally originates. This consumer-friendly ingredient is widely used in the food industry for its gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties for consumer products like chocolate milk, ice cream and other dairy/dairy alternatives.

Misconceptions About Carrageenan

However, due to a gross misunderstanding and mischaracterization of actual science, carrageenan has been a topic of considerable consternation since around 2008. Many have been misled to believe this ingredient contributes to intestinal distress and could be a carcinogen. Jaime Underwood from Edible Chemistry Consulting penned a brilliantly written article about the misconceptions of carrageenan in the global marketplace. Underwood leads a team of accomplished formulators who problem solve and develop products in the food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods markets.

Market Supply 

Consumer perception of carrageenan has dramatically improved over the past few years, as evidenced by the large number of new product launches since 2019 that highlight it on ingredient labels. But, as the positive perception of carrageenan has increased, demand has soared causing challenges to the supply chain. Most of the global supply of the aforementioned seaweed comes from areas in Southeast Asia, the southern tip of South America, and northwestern Europe. Covid-19 has negatively impacted the available labor to plant, nurture, and harvest these key raw materials, thus driving an overall tightness in the marketplace.

How Palmer Holland Can Help

This highly functional, all-natural, and on-trend ingredient is available within our network of US service facilities and ready for use by your formulators & product development teams. If you are having trouble sourcing carrageenan (supply chain issues with China and beyond), contact one of our Ingredient Consultants listed below. They can provide you with a solution alongside our colleagues from CEAMSA.

Palmer Holland Ingredient Consultants

Dan Rominiecki (East Coast)
Noelle Cox (Ohio Valley)
John Kerrigan (Midwest)
Roger Hutchinson (Southeast)
Meena Haidari (West Coast)