and here is the letter I recieved from Wellness when I asked them to remove the carageenan from their food
I gave them Rodney Habibs link about Carageenan.
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. Recently carrageenan, a long-time ingredient used in pet food as well as in human food has been in the news. 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: Food-Grade and Non Food-Grade
• 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
• Food-Grade Carrageenan is quite expensive and is used in very small amounts
• Food-Grade Carrageenan has been used on a large scale in worldwide food production since the early 1930’s
• 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 Food-Grade Carrageenan resists degradation in the digestive tract and is therefore unlikely to even be absorbed
We are staying on top of the latest research regarding carrageenan and will continue to evaluate alternative ingredients. On behalf of our team here at WellPet, we value your patronage and thank you for your continued support of our products. We look forward to continuing to provide you and your pet with only the best in animal nutrition.
Thanks again for contacting us.