Wellness' Response to Carrageenan

I got bugged by all the carrageenan in Wellness canned food.  I know it's a controversial and debated ingredient.  I do still believe it is a high quality food and isn't as expensive as foods that are the same high quality.  I just feel the need to avoid it and only feed it once in a while because of the carrageenan in it.  So I decided to ask them why they put it in their foods and why they sunk that low for a high quality brand.  But at least carrageenan isn't listed in the first row of their ingredient list unlike Blue Buffalo.

Here's their response: "Hello Aaron, Wellness Pet Food is committed to the highest standards of pet food safety. There are two types of Carrageenan: Degraded and Un-Degraded. Un-Degraded (food grade) Carrageenan is what can be found in very small amounts in certain Wellness Pet Food recipes and is defined by the FDA as a non-toxic, non-carcinogenic sea vegetable. Our quality assurance team stays on top of the latest research regarding carrageenan and continues to evaluate alternative ingredients. We look forward to continuing to provide you and your pet with only the best in animal nutrition. Thank you."

I don't know what to think of that.  What do all of you think?

FelineEmpathy said:

 
I got bugged by all the carrageenan in Wellness canned food.  I know it's a controversial and debated ingredient.  I do still believe it is a high quality food and isn't as expensive as foods that are the same high quality.  I just feel the need to avoid it and only feed it once in a while because of the carrageenan in it.  So I decided to ask them why they put it in their foods and why they sunk that low for a high quality brand.  But at least carrageenan isn't listed in the first row of their ingredient list unlike Blue Buffalo.

Here's their response: "Hello Aaron, Wellness Pet Food is committed to the highest standards of pet food safety. There are two types of Carrageenan: Degraded and Un-Degraded. Un-Degraded (food grade) Carrageenan is what can be found in very small amounts in certain Wellness Pet Food recipes and is defined by the FDA as a non-toxic, non-carcinogenic sea vegetable. Our quality assurance team stays on top of the latest research regarding carrageenan and continues to evaluate alternative ingredients. We look forward to continuing to provide you and your pet with only the best in animal nutrition. Thank you."

I don't know what to think of that.  What do all of you think?

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whats to think, they are right.

FelineEmpathy said:

I got bugged by all the carrageenan in Wellness canned food.  I know it's a controversial and debated ingredient.  I do still believe it is a high quality food and isn't as expensive as foods that are the same high quality.  I just feel the need to avoid it and only feed it once in a while because of the carrageenan in it.  So I decided to ask them why they put it in their foods and why they sunk that low for a high quality brand.  But at least carrageenan isn't listed in the first row of their ingredient list unlike Blue Buffalo.

Here's their response: "Hello Aaron, Wellness Pet Food is committed to the highest standards of pet food safety. There are two types of Carrageenan: Degraded and Un-Degraded. Un-Degraded (food grade) Carrageenan is what can be found in very small amounts in certain Wellness Pet Food recipes and is defined by the FDA as a non-toxic, non-carcinogenic sea vegetable. Our quality assurance team stays on top of the latest research regarding carrageenan and continues to evaluate alternative ingredients. We look forward to continuing to provide you and your pet with only the best in animal nutrition. Thank you."

I don't know what to think of that.  What do all of you think?

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. I don t trust what they say . Of course they ll say that not because it s a cheap filler so we can make more money. I stay away from all carrageen period.

psychomama said:

. I don t trust what they say . Of course they ll say that not because it s a cheap filler so we can make more money. I stay away from all carrageen period.

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True.  But look at it this way.  Whatever food you feed your cat, you instill trust in that pet food company to not harm your pets, put quality ingredients in their food, and to make ethical decisions.  I mostly feed Nutro Natural Choice and it does have a little bit of guar gum and xanthan gum but I still trust them to deliver me a quality product.  Despite the carrageenan I do still feed Wellness once in a while.  I feed Nature's Variety despite having a clay in it.  I also feed Honest Kitchen when they clearly have potatoes, vegetables, and fruits in their food but they go out of the way to prove their food is human grade.  It's hard to find a food that doesn't have questionable ingredients because most if not all have something odd but you still put trust in them. 

That is true. I found a brand with perfect ingredients call Hounds & Gatos. 98 % protein no fillers. He won t touch it. Just like us cats want what isn t the best for them. LOL

They also sent me additional info and facts:

 At WellPet, we are committed to the highest standards of pet food safety. Our highest priority is providing you and your animal companions with consistently safe, premium-quality natural food and treats for pets.

We’d like to share with you some important information about this ingredient.

• Carrageenan is a natural carbohydrate that has been extracted from a variety of red seaweed

• There are two types of Carrageenan: Degraded and Un-Degraded

• Un-Degraded (food-grade) Carrageenan is all that is used in WellPet products

• Carrageenan is used to help prevent separation of liquids, improve loaf structure and add texture that pets love

• Un-Degraded (food-grade) Carrageenan is quite expensive and is used in very small amounts

• Un-Degraded (food-grade) Carrageenan has been used on a large scale in worldwide food production since the early 1930’s

• Un-degraded (food-grade) Carrageenan’s safety has been assured by the FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status

• Both the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization consider this sea vegetable non-toxic, non-teratogenic and non-carcinogenic

• Some recent research actually shows that Un-Degraded (food-grade) Carrageenan resists degradation in the digestive tract and is therefore unlikely to even be absorbed

• Degraded carrageenan has been chemically treated (hydrolyzed with acid) and is a known carcinogen and is not used in any WellPet products

That does sound encouraging. I m a worry wart when it comes to ️Psycho. I guess I need to lighten up. LOL

psychomama said:

. I don t trust what they say . Of course they ll say that not because it s a cheap filler so we can make more money. I stay away from all carrageen period.

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So do I

There was another thread regarding the carrageenan on cat site, and a human person said that it disagreed with her when she has consumed it. That thread might also have a link to carrageenan, or I just went hunting around on my computer. It supposedly irritates the colon or stomach. It's hard to avoid, either in human food or pet food!

I also stay away from carrageenan, though used to feed one kind of food (Wellness Core!) that had it. We all pick our battles with commercial cat foods and it's hard, though not impossible, to avoid carrageenan. At least it's gotten easier for us after our cats started snubbing pates and starting enthusiastically eating more canned shreds and raw foods. Tip for humans avoiding carrageenan: gelato and Whole Foods ice cream!

Wellness's response sounds like something from the Legal Department (which it probably is!): just a compilation of irrefutable general statements about carrageenan that don't really address the source of the controversy. There are lots of natural compounds and elements that are very dangerous over time (arsenic and radon come to mind...) so some of their points strike me as a little silly.  I'm most definitely not comparing carrageenan to arsenic or radon, just saying that I think their logic is a but odd!

I feed one brand with carrageenan(Merrick)      My two love the duck so I keep it in the rotation.    I also feed FF classic turkey & giblet which has the controversial vitamin k.     Its hard to avoid these ingredients when you want to keep your cost down and try and keep variety in a rotation.    I'd love to feed just tiki cat and natures variety but I think my two would get bored.     Also when I feed the shredded chickens like Tiki or Weruva it doesn't fill them up so I have to feed more.     They are young yet so I hope as they get older I will be able to adjust what they eat. 

Lokhismom said:

 I'd love to feed just tiki cat and natures variety but I think my two would get bored.     Also when I feed the shredded chickens like Tiki or Weruva it doesn't fill them up so I have to feed more.    

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Tiki's Gourmet Carnivore "beef liver and chicken" seems to fill up our cats pretty well. Our pickier cat particularly loves it, though only time will tell if they get bored with it! I know what you mean about the adjustments over time, with maturity!

Carrageenan always upset my digestive system. It's in many organic or health foods. I had problems with soy milk, and turned out, it had carrageenan. 

FelineEmpathy said:

• Degraded carrageenan has been chemically treated (hydrolyzed with acid) and is a known carcinogen and is not used in any WellPet products

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Maybe it's not relevant, but wouldn't stomach acid affect carrageenan? 

Thank you for sharing their response with us @FelineEmpathy  !

While I totally agree with @LisaHE  that natural does not equate safe or healthy, my own research on carrageenan convinced me that the form used in food (pet food included) is safe for humans and pets. Sure, some people may have allergies or sensitivities, but that's true of pretty much everything. I really could find no good-quality evidence that there's any harm in good-grade carrageenan. The only fault I could find with it is a very poorly-chosen name 

Anne said:

 
Thank you for sharing their response with us @FelineEmpathy  !

While I totally agree with @LisaHE  that natural does not equate safe or healthy, my own research on carrageenan convinced me that the form used in food (pet food included) is safe for humans and pets. Sure, some people may have allergies or sensitivities, but that's true of pretty much everything. I really could find no good-quality evidence that there's any harm in good-grade carrageenan. The only fault I could find with it is a very poorly-chosen name 

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I'm glad I could share all of this.  I'm convinced that the good-grade carrageenan is safe for humans and pets.  My cat, Shanoah, definitely doesn't have a sensitive stomach and allergies.  I've been feeding her Wellness in her food rotation and she's been perfectly fine.  I think in regards to carrageenan, paranoia mostly has to do with sensitive stomachs and allergies....and then everybody freaks out about it because it either made them sick or bother their pet.

Although this does sound crazy.  I did gather the emails of 10 Animal Hospitals and Pet Clinics around Seattle and asked vets what they thought about carrageenan and other gums.  3 of them either didn't respond or didn't want to answer because they noticed I wasn't a client.  The rest of them were generous enough and took time to respond.  5 of them (including mine) said that carrageenan and gums won't hurt our pets because it's just a thickener.  A couple of them did mention sensitive stomachs and allergies being a factor.  2 of them instead promoted home cooked meals and was also cautious about raw food because of the chance of salmonella and other raw risks.

It's easily forgotten that vets are doctors as well and know what they're talking about.

I used to worry about carrageenan and guar gum being in so many high quality pet foods that I've just decided to go to the raw route. Feeding raw puts my peace to mind now since I can avoid carrageenan and gums. But I'm not saying they are bad, since I guess there really is no solid evidence. My 4 kittens are growing nicely on raw. I doubt salmonella would be as bad in them unlike humans, cats stomachs are different. It's more acidic and felines have high amounts of bile (anti-parasitic and anti-pathogenic). Plus salmonella isn't necessarily a foreign pathogenic invader in felines unlike humans. Felines are able to hold loads amount of bacteria from what they eat, whether it's dry(which also can carry salmonella and lots of other bacteria), wet, or raw. This is where the acidity of a felines stomach comes into play.

I stopped feeding my IBD kitty canned Wellness after I fed her a can from a new case and she started vomiting (four times). This was a while ago. I have no idea if it was the carrageenan or not, but I feed her only carrageenan free food now, just in case. She has done very well the past several months without the Wellness and the carageenan.

I agree I stay away from carrageen because I think it unnecessary in cat food.

I think you just have to do what you feel is the best because so often things are anecdotal. Even in this thread - one person's cat vomited after eating food that had it in it, meanwhile - my cat seems unphased.

Moi aussi! And reading this thread makes me all the more resolved not to touch it for my pet or myself. It seems to serve no nutritional purpose and I don't want stuff in my cat's digestive track that just hangs around and then passes through merely because it makes the food look prettier. I'm finished with these games in the food industry.

(Sorry, small rant)

Everything I've read about carrageenan including where it is sourced, side effects and the FDA's approval makes me extremely wary. The fact that it has been used since the 40's is neither here or there. It certainly proves nothing. I just think animals and humans have enough stresses to deal with without adding even small unknown factors into the equation. Blah. Sorry!