Carrageenan health benefit???

[zoneout]

I was buying Wellness canned Turkey from chewy.com and noticed this description.....

Wellness Complete Health Turkey Formula Canned Cat Food, 12.5-oz, case of 12

People only get Thanksgiving once a year, but your kitty can have it every day! Wellness Turkey Formula Canned Cat Food nourishes your cat's body and soul to help him live a long, healthy life. Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids help him maintain a beautiful coat and healthy skin, and every can contains carrageenan to protect against kitty colds.

I was kind of shocked to see that statement about the ubiquitous carrageenan additive.   I always thought it was used as a food stabilizer for consistency - not as a preventative for respiratory ailments.

Has anyone ever heard of this and know if this is the real reason carrageenan is used in foods?   Is this marketing B.S. or what?

 

[ondine]

I'm going out on the 'Net now to see what's out there but it sounds like BS to me.

 

[ondine]

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

In this article it does state that it can be used in the nostrils to kill cold germs.  But the original statement still sounds like they took that little nugget and extrapolated the benefits.

 

[frappe]

I agree with Ondine. They use it to hold the pate together/thicken it. I'm sure they are aware of the controversy around carrageenan and figured they would throw something out there that points towards it being beneficial. 

 

[zoneout]

What a bunch of slugs these pet food companies are. I might dump wellness at this point but it's hard to find something reasonable in a large 13 oz can.

 

[sweetpea24]

Weruva just came out with new line that is carageenan. It does have guar gum. I don't know if that is bad too.

 

[slykat12]

What a bunch of slugs these pet food companies are. I might dump wellness at this point but it's hard to find something reasonable in a large 13 oz can.

Try Lotus. They make big cans w none of that bad stuff w a fair price. http://www.lotuspetfoods.com/for-cats/canned-pate/

 

[pushylady]

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

In this article it does state that it can be used in the nostrils to kill cold germs.  But the original statement still sounds like they took that little nugget and extrapolated the benefits.

It's amazing how marketers can spin things!