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The Honest Company recently launched its new Honest Toothpaste and Honest Kid’s Toothpaste and has gotten a number of questions about its decision to use carrageenan. Why? Because various sites claim it causes cancer. The source of confusion and misinformation regarding carrageenan stems from people not knowing that there are two different types that result from different ways of processing the polysaccharides that are extracted from seaweed.

In comments submitted last Friday, IDFA supported the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule to relist four ingredients, commonly used in dairy products, on the list of allowable substances in organic foods. The ingredients are agar, carrageenan, cellulose and animal enzymes, including rennet used to make cheese.

Contrary to what you may hear from certain “sources” on the web, the USDA’s decision on carrageenan came after thoroughly considering all of the available science.

The United States supports one of the safest food supplies in the World. I would state “the safest”, but it’s hard to prove. What is easy to prove is the rigor of regulatory review in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that ensures foods and food ingredients are safe as consumed, are not adulterated, and are correctly labeled.

Kudos to Secretary Vilsack and USDA for basing their regulatory decisions on sound science. Another recent example is the Proposed Rule published on May 3rd that would re-list carrageenan as appropriate for use in organic food products.

Kathleen J. Melanson, associate professor of nutrition science at the University of Rhode Island, explained that concerns about carrageenan have been common since the 1960s and 1970s, but it is simply due to a lot of confusion.

It is easy for public health officials to err on the side of caution. Look no further than the European Union to find examples of application for the “Precautionary Principle”. With all due respect to our European friends and colleagues, the Precautionary Principle translates into poor policy – regulation driven by consumer perception and fears with science hidden in the closet.

Let your voice be heard and post comments to the Federal Register supporting the USDA’s proposed rule on carrageenan. Learn how you can contribute.