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Vegan, failsGluten-Free, passesKeto, passes
E407 — Carrageenan
Why it’s used
A thickener, gelling agent, and stabilizer extracted from red seaweed (e.g. Chondrus crispus); used to add body and prevent separation in dairy products, plant-based milks, and desserts, and to bind processed/deli meats.
Other names
Irish moss extract, Carrageenin
Diet flags
Vegan, passesVegetarian, passes
Regulatory status
USA — Allowed
GRAS food additive for use as an emulsifier, stabilizer, or thickener under 21 CFR 172.620; also listed as a GRAS multipurpose substance under 21 CFR 182.7255. No age-based use restriction is specified. Source (2026-07-23)
EU — Restricted
Authorised EU-wide as E407, but EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation set the group ADI (shared with E407a) to 'temporary' pending further toxicological data, and EU rules prohibit carrageenan in infant formula for infants under 12 weeks of age. Source (2026-07-23)
Regulatory status by region
FDA's food-additive listing for carrageenan (21 CFR 172.620) carries no infant-formula age restriction, unlike the EU. FDA has not amended carrageenan's status following EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation, and JECFA has stated it does not consider carrageenan use in infant formula up to 1,000 mg/L to be of concern.
EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation (EFSA Journal 2018;16(4):5238) downgraded the ADI to temporary and called for more data; the European Commission opened a further data call in October 2018 specifically on use in food for young infants. Separately, EU food-additive rules (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) do not permit carrageenan in infant formula intended for infants below 12 weeks of age — a specific-use restriction the US FDA does not impose.
Found in these products
1 product in our database contains E407.