Sea moss
Irish moss is Chondrus crispus, a red seaweed harvested from rocky North Atlantic shores, though much product sold as "sea moss" is other red seaweeds such as Gracilaria or Eucheuma farmed in warm waters. The seaweed is cleaned, sun or oven dried, and sold whole, milled to powder, or soaked and blended into a gel. Its gelling polysaccharides are the raw material for carrageenan.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Raw or sun-dried thalli, sold by species, color (natural, gold or purple) and harvest origin.
Dried seaweed milled to a powder for capsules, gummies and drink mixes.
Seaweed soaked and blended with water, sold chilled or frozen; it needs a cold chain and a preservation plan.
Hand-harvested Atlantic Chondrus crispus, sold separately from farmed tropical species and usually at a higher price.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep dried seaweed and powder sealed in lined bags, cool, dry and away from light and odors, since it absorbs moisture and smells. Gels are perishable and are kept refrigerated or frozen for the period the producer has validated. Shelf life or retest date follows the supplier's specification.
Species, iodine and metals vary by harvest site and season, so each lot needs its own COA and species identification. Record origin, harvest date and species, and keep gel lots on a short first-expiry-first-out rotation.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Chondrus crispus (POL-NF-00243) concerns the whole plant and lists it as not novel in food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)21 CFR 172.620 lists Chondrus crispus among the red seaweeds from which the food additive carrageenan is prepared; that section covers the refined hydrocolloid, not the seaweed itself.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)FDA's Substances Added to Food inventory lists Irish moss extract as another name for carrageenan, citing 21 CFR 172.620, 172.625 and 182.7255.
Source: hfpappexternal.fda.gov (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Distributor · Eugene, OR
Mountain Rose Herbs is an Oregon seller of organic and wild-harvested bulk herbs, spices, mushrooms and seaweeds, with a wholesale program for businesses alongside its retail shop.
Distributor · Sacramento, CA
Starwest Botanicals is a Sacramento company that mills and sells bulk organic herbs, spices, teas and botanical powders by the pound and in 25 lb bags, with wholesale accounts for businesses.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include dried whole seaweed, powder, gel and wildcrafted Chondrus crispus. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity, heavy metals and iodine, microbiology, foreign matter and moisture, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep dried seaweed and powder sealed in lined bags, cool, dry and away from light and odors, since it absorbs moisture and smells. Gels are perishable and are kept refrigerated or frozen for the period the producer has validated. Shelf life or retest date follows the supplier's specification.
The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Chondrus crispus (POL-NF-00243) concerns the whole plant and lists it as not novel in food. 21 CFR 172.620 lists Chondrus crispus among the red seaweeds from which the food additive carrageenan is prepared; that section covers the refined hydrocolloid, not the seaweed itself. FDA's Substances Added to Food inventory lists Irish moss extract as another name for carrageenan, citing 21 CFR 172.620, 172.625 and 182.7255.
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