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Wood Pulp Is In Your Food. Should You Be Concerned?

“Wood pulp” sounds kind of gross, doesn’t it? It seems like something that should only be in a lumber yard, not in our food or hygienic products. The substance is sometimes masked as “cellulose” and “sawdust,” too, but those labels are not any more appetizing.

Chances are you have ingested a fair amount of wood pulp throughout your life. Don’t worry, though. In small doses the ingredient is harmless. It has no nutritional value, but it can be slightly useful for people who are trying to lose weight or improve digestion. Most forms of cellulose are natural, plant-based, and a source of bulky fiber that makes people feel full.

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Featured

 Why Wood Pulp In Your Parmesan Won’t Kill You

It's called cellulose, and you've eaten it before. A lot. There's good news and bad news about the revelation that a supposed 100-percent Parmesan cheese was adulterated with cellulose—a filler often made from wood pulp. First the good: Eating cellulose won't kill you. There are no known harmful side effects from adding it to food, and it's completely legal.

Articles of Interest

What is in Your Food? Cellulose Gum

If you read food labels, you will find cellulose gum in many foods. Foods that do have it are highly processed. Cellulose gum can be found in ice cream, beer, pie filling, jellies, cake icings, many “diet” foods, processed cheese, infant formula, cottage cheese, cream cheese, dressings, desserts, concentrated juice, and spice mixes. Wow, that is quite the list! But wait there are more: toothpaste, hair gel, shampoo, lotion, ointments, pharmaceuticals, and laundry detergent can also have cellulose.

A Brief History of Wood Pulp in Food

Cellulose from wood pulp has no nutritional benefit, but it is used in many foods as a filler or to keep cheese shreds, for example, from sticking together. And, because most cellulose is organic and non-GMO, it can be used in certified organic foods as well.

Are You Eating This Substance That Lines Food Industry Pockets & Destroys Your Metabolism?

Remember to always check the ingredients list before buying anything at the grocery store – even organic products for cellulose and other emulsifiers like Polysorbate 80. Shred your own cheese, buy 100% maple syrup and forget fast food.

Carboxymethyl Cellulose: A Common Food Additive that May Damage the Gut

Most likely, you’ve never heard of carboxymethyl cellulose or cellulose gum. However, most people consume it on a regular basis. Officially, carboxymethyl cellulose is a food additive used as a thickening, binding and emulsifying agent in foods and other products. It is produced by reacting natural cellulose—plant fiber—with “chloroacetic acid” in an alkaline solution.

Cellulose: The Wood Pulp in Your Shredded Cheese

Have you ever glanced at the ingredients in a shredded cheese package or a quart of ice cream and wondered, “What is cellulose and why is it here?”

From McDonald's To Organic Valley, You're Probably Eating Wood Pulp

Do not be alarmed, but you may be eating wood pulp. Or at least an additive that started out as wood. If you buy shredded cheeses, including brands such as Organic Valley and Sargento, or hit the drive-through at McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich or a smoothie, or douse some ribs with bottled barbecue sauce, there's likely some cellulose that's been added to your food.

How Is Cellulose Used In Food?

Cellulose is an organic molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Since it is an important structural component of the cell walls of green plants, cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on earth. Adding cellulose to food allows an increase in bulk and fibre content without a major impact on flavour. Because cellulose binds and mixes easily with water, it is often added to increase the fibre content of drinks and other liquid items when the gritty texture of regular fibre would be undesirable.

Is processed cellulose irritating your gut and stopping weight loss?

Have you given up gluten, and seen better digestive health and lost weight? I have something to share with you. Although you THINK it may be the absence of gluten in wheat which is making you feel better, I would argue that for many people it’s the absence of a nasty processed substance called carboxymethylcellulose in many commercial foods, especially wheat ones, which is the reason you are feeling much better.

Learn About Cellulose and How It Is Used in Food

Cellulose is a molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and is found in the cellular structure of virtually all plant matter. This organic compound, which is considered the most abundant on earth, is even excreted by some bacteria.

The Truth Behind Methylcellulose

As plant-based diets become increasingly more popular across the world, more companies are developing new recipes to fill the demand. However, while meatless substitutes are effective for improving our environment, not all products have the same positive impact on your body. Some plant-based proteins contain highly processed ingredients that negatively affect your health and wellness. One popular plant-based additive is methylcellulose, a chemical compound that’s often used as a thickener in foods like bread or ice cream.

What is Cellulose in Food? Everything You Need to Know

When you consume cellulose in food, it stays solid and undissolved as it moves through the intestine, as our bodies are incapable of breaking it down. Our bodies do not possess the proper enzymes to disintegrate cellulose. This compound falls under the category of indigestible carbohydrates and is commonly referred to as dietary fiber. In addition, cellulose is an insoluble fiber that cannot dissolve in water. However, when consumed, cellulose fiber in food can help boost bowel movements by helping to plunge food through the digestive system.

Wood Pulp in Your Burger? Yep. A Look at Cellulose.

I am not a beaver, so why is there wood in my burger?

Resources

31 Foods You're Eating That Contain Sawdust

There's wood pulp in your cheese. Scandalous, huh? Well, not really. Not only has cellulose been a safe, FDA-approved food additive since 1973, it's also a component of the plant foods we eat every day.