Carrageenan

Will bioengineered rennet, an enzyme necessary for cheese production and made primarily by Pfizer, make you sick, as a video on Facebook implies? No, that's not true: Rennet is not considered genetically modified and is safe for human health, several experts told Lead Stories. Rennet is used to generate the final cheese product, but is not an ingredient in cheese,…

Does the Apeel produce coating Organipeel contain an "unidentified coating" that is falsely labeled as organic and that could be harmful to human health? No, that's not true: Though it may be applied to organic produce, it is neither considered an organic product by regulatory agencies nor does the company claim it to be. Orangipeel is a coating used to…

Will a fast of water, coffee and tea followed by a diet of only vegetable juice and a ribeye steak cure cancer in 90 days? No, that's not true: Experts told Lead Stories that there is no scientific evidence that this specific regimen will cure cancer. A 2017 study shows that there may be evidence that intermittent fasting coupled with…

Does carrageenan, a food stabilizer made from red seaweed, cause cancer? No, that's not true: A registered dietitian told Lead Stories that there is no substantial evidence that carrageenan causes cancer. Neither the Food and Drug Administration, nor the European Food Safety Authority have found safety concerns with using carrageenan as an additive. The claim that carrageenan causes cancer appeared…

Are the food additives found in Dairy Queen's soft serve harmful to the human body? No, that's not true: The amount of food additives in a Dairy Queen soft serve is not enough to cause the health problems in this claim. A chemist told Lead Stories that there are very few health risks for these food additives. The claim appeared…

Does McDonald's ice cream contain xylitol, a type of sugar that is harmful to dogs? This claim contains falsehood and some truth: No, McDonald's ice cream does not contain xylitol. A spokesperson from McDonald's USA told Lead Stories that its "soft serve, found in our cones and other desserts, does not contain xylitol." However, according to the FDA, xylitol poisons…