Source: PepsiCo. Farmed salmon is cheaper than wild salmon for a disturbing reason. Drumstick frozen desserts Drumstick uses carrageenan, derived And yeah: Sipping on it is pretty crazy considering the beverage contains Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO), a food additive that's used in some citrus sodas. This means that not only is the vast majority of American corn and soy forbidden on the Mexican market (over 90 percent of both crops grown in the U.S. are genetically modified) but so too are most Hawaiian papayas. Head abroad, and you may find that some of your faves, from Coca-Cola to Coffee-Mate, are nowhere to be found, have had their recipes slightly changed, or are only available with worrisome on-packaging labeling claiming that these faves are hazardous to your health. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Understandably, both are banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, as well as Europe, according to Livestrong. While Olestra does remove fats from food, it also, in a sense, removes essential vitamins from the body by rendering it unable to absorb them. Some of the mercurial concoctions of growth hormones that are routinely pumped into U.S. meat products are not just constrained to the meat alone. Perhaps it's no surprise to learn that brightly colored candy requires a massive amount of food dye to take on its trademark hue. After the chickens are slaughtered, theyre washed in chlorine to rid them of some of nastiest germs. India has said it's banning wheat exports "to manage the overall food security of the country," according to local media reports. If you drink milk on the regular, antibiotics aren't the only thing you should be worried about. As for the health risks, in addition to being less nutrient-densethan wild salmon, per Healthline, farmed salmon has been found in some cases to contain dangerouslevels of chemicals like methylmercury and dioxins (via European Food Safety Authority). It's no surprise that the hormone is effectively banned in some EU nations, per The Sociological Quarterly. Rather, it holds that allowing such a process paves the way for a reduction in due diligence at the farm. However, the additive has also been used in a wide spectrum of industrial contexts, including in the production of yoga mats. #1: Farm-Raised Salmon. The war has triggered a huge spike in wheat prices, with Russia and Ukraine among the biggest exporters of the commodity. Which chemicals and food production standards that are acceptable and common in foods in the United States are illegal in other countries? India has banned wheat exports as the price of grain surged this year due in part to the Russia-Ukraine war. As the war continues, there is a growing likelihood that food shortages, particularly of grains and vegetable oils, will become acute International Food Policy Research Institute, Pasta, wheat derivatives, vegetable oil, sugar, Wheat, flour, oils, lentils, pasta, beans. An additive that's used for baking, potassium bromate is something that you might find in your bread. Coffee-mate. What if someone told you the plate of food you just devoured was filled with the same chemicals used to make yoga mats, preservatives found in wax food packaging, and a major component of rat poisoning? The new variety was genetically designed to be resistant to the virus. Banned in: France, Austria, Norway and Finland. A dough conditioning agent called azodicarbonamide is common in a lot of U.S. bread products, because it makes breads spongier. Read: 10 Foods and Products Banned by the FDA. BHA also "interferes with hormone function," while BHT is toxic to rodents, "can act as a tumor promoter in certain situations," and has "result[ed] in adverse reproductive [a]ffects." Namely, vegetarian products that seek to emulate the flavor, texture, or appearance of animal-derived products things like burgers, sausages, cheese, and, indeed, meatballs cannot use those words. The brands that are using artificial coloring in the U.S. are making products without any dyes in countries that In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority dubbed the additive no longer safe due to the possibility of DNA damage and increased risk of cancer. 2023 GOBankingRates. Sign up for our daily newsletter for the latest financial news and trending topics. However, they're mainly to do with the ways that different food safety authorities react to new research. Austria, Finland, France, Norway, Austria and the U.K. have flat-out banned these colorful substances which have been linked to various severe health effects including birth defects, organ damage and cancer. If you dont or cant afford to buy organic chicken, your factory-farmed poultry might smell ever so faintly of the community pool in summer. More: How Animal Conservation Can Save the World Money. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. But whetherfor health reasons or economic ones, one thing is certain: European Coke is arguably a little bit sweeter thanks to the absence of HFCS. The first food on the list was Skittles, which contains various food dyes including Yellow No. Do I even need to say it? This manufactured hormone is designed to pump up milk production in dairy cows. Azodicarbonamide can be found in many foods such as frozen meals, baked goods, and even in rubber and plastic products like shoes and yoga mats. 25 Awful Ingredients Everyone Still UsesBut Shouldn't. Thats what Europe and Canada are asking about milk made in the U.S., where corporate cattle farms tend to pump cows full of the synthetic growth hormone rBGH (aka rBST). U.S. chicken also makes an appearance on the banned list for being washed with chlorine. But there's one exception that's still widely available on the American marketplace. Given arsenics tendency to cause an array of cancers, the European Union has banned arsenic-fed poultry commonly found in the U.S. More: 18 Deadly Corporate Mistakes and the Companies That Paid the Price. Got a confidential news tip? Dedicated to continuing a culture with less fast food and more whole foods, regions that ban risky ingredients tend to see an all-around healthier population, which ultimately helps people live longer and be less at risk for chronic illness. From bacon to ham, hot dogs to pork chops, people in the US consume a lot of it per year (67 pounds per capita,as of 2019). Not too appetizing, huh? Bread is one of the most ubiquitous foods in the US, with entire grocery store aisles devoted to this one product. Unsurprisingly, the problem arises from the inclusion of two dyes: Yellow 5 and Red 40. The drug is thought to affect the cardiovascular system and cause hyperactivity, behavioral changes, elevated heart rates, and heart-pounding sensations. "It has also contributed to a global food crisis, as Russia is blocking vital fertilizer exports needed by farmers elsewhere, and Ukraine's role as the breadbasket for Africa and the Middle East has been destroyed.". Take a look at our list of some of the American meat products that are banned abroad and see if you agree. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. It's perhaps no surprise that the ultra-processed snack food known as theTwinkie is banned in some parts of the world, but it's not because these sponge cakes may well outlast the apocalypse. You can click on the 'unsubscribe' link in the email at anytime. Instead, earlier this year, the country's Tierra del Fuego region banned something far more widespread:salmon farmedin marine cages (via Green Queen). Hopefully, more regions will follow. ", Why are they banned in Europe? Kraft Stove Top stuffing might make weeknight dinners easier, but it also contains the same BHT found in American breakfast cereals, as well as BHA, which at high doses, causes cancer in rats, mice and hamsters. } See: 25 Cheap Frozen Foods That Are Actually Good for You. But over here, corporate farms like to season poultry with the famous poison because it kills parasites, accelerates a chickens growth and enhances the color of their flesh. The answer to this question is not easy. 40 to be used in products that might find their way onto your dinner table, Berger says many Europeans countries do not allow this artificial coloring in their food. However, the EU and the United States have banned the cheese for health reasons. France heavily legislates how products like veggie burgers and vegetarian sausage can be marketed. Synthetic growth hormones and other feed additives also fall on the list of ingredients that are barred by many other governments. However, farm-raised Another common additive in U.S. breads that is banned abroad is potassium bromate, which makes bread fluffier. Why its banned: A glance at Kelloggs Every country has some authoritative body to assess the safety of products we consume, and while the FDA may deem a product we enjoy as safe to ingest, other countries' equivalent agencies beg to differ. Read: Goods and Services That Will Be More Expensive in 2021. Perhaps it's better that the EU is taking a pass. Beginning in 1991, California law required an on-label warning that foods might contain potassium bromate. The reasons why some foods are easily found in the U.S. but are heavily regulated abroad vary. Austria completely prohibits Yellow 5 and Sweden prohibits Yellow 6, while Norway has banned both. Factory-farmed fish are intensively confined and are fed a steady diet of antibiotics and other drugs to combat the unnatural and squalid conditions of the pens. Another emerging no-no in the world of U.S. consumption is BPA. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Next time you're enjoying a plate of giant Buffalo wings or chowing down on a giant steak, think about the size of the animal that must have produced it. Want to know what that means for your favorite snacks, pantry staples, and more the next time you travel abroad or search your own local stores? In Singapore, using it could get you fined $450,000 and put in jail for up to 15 years. It's the yellow dyes; however, there's a version of Kraft Dinner sold in the U.K. and other British Commonwealth countries that contains no artificial colors or flavors, but it tastes slightly different from the American childhood favorite. Indeed, BVO is "sometimes used to keep citrus flavoring from separating out in sodas and other beverages," according to the Mayo Clinic. Thousands of birds are literally stuffed inside massive warehouses and spend their lives standing, sleeping, and eating in their own waste. Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. Convinced the process is dangerous to humans because the chlorine likely lingers in the meat, theyve banned these chemical baths across the E.U. General Mills recently made a shift to remove BHT from its cereals, but not every U.S. manufacturer is on board. Gatorade was previously banned throughout Europe because some flavors once contained an emulsifier called brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is still present in many popular U.S. products today. By clicking the 'Subscribe Now' button, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Add to this the fact that many creamers also contain carrageenan, a seaweed-derived thickening agent that has been linked to inflammation and possibly cancer (via The Cornucopia Institute). The U.S.s position is that the use of ractopamine favors agricultural trade over the health risks. 11 [] Part of the fun of traveling is stuffing your face with the cuisines and treats of the locals. And while federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in raising pork and poultry, the same can't be said for beef. The cheese is then served with the maggots still lodged in it. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Get advice on achieving your financial goals and stay up to date on the day's top financial stories. Many governments have deemed it unfit for human consumption, so U.S. pork is broadly prohibited outside the U.S. Ractopamine isn't the only common additive in U.S. meat processing that is verboten in other countries. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, popular American food containing ingredients banned or limited in other countries, Lawsuit claims Skittles contain toxin and are unsafe to eat, BHA, which at high doses, causes cancer in rats, mice and hamsters, some trans fats such as partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils can still be found in popular products, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Bryce Young falls short: 5-10 . This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Read: 30 Jobs That Didnt Exist 30 Years Ago. These cons, if you will, may be palatable to the American manufacturer and even their consumers, but foreign countries particularly those in the European Union have zero appetites for toxins, no matter how tasty. In the US, it's common for chicken to be chlorinated during the preparation process. Many food companies have a penchant for these two preserving agents as they help extend the shelf life of their products. But while France is certainly taking strides towards being more vegetarian and vegan-friendly, agricultural lobbies do want to protect one part of the meat and dairy industry they consider fairly essential: its language. . As overfishing of our oceans is a serious environmental concern, the U.S. errs in favor of farmed salmon for mass consumption. Vote on which bans might make you think differently the next time you see certain items in a grocery store. But despite increased public awareness around research confirming that GMOs put people at profound risk for toxicity and immunosuppression, to name just a couple of known evils, GMOs are still legal in the U.S., and not until 2022 will labeling of products containing GMOs be required. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Food is one of those things that immediately sets one country apart from another, and edible items or practices taken for granted in one country may in fact be banned somewhere else. Unfortunately, it's also a possible human carcinogen that is illegal in countries around the world from China to Canada to Brazil, according to Live Science. According to the Mayo Clinic, bromineone of its key ingredientscan irritate the skin and mucous membranes, as well as cause headaches, memory loss, and impaired balance and coordination. Much of the U.S. beef cattle are fed synthetic hormones in the feedlots prior to slaughter. Some of the cereals in U.S. cereal aisles contain the preservative Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), and because of that, they can't be sold in many other countries around the world. The European Commission has given countries the choice of opting out of GMOs, and a number of countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Italy and Croatia have implemented a full ban on GMOs. Of course, bread isnt just made from grain, and in the US at least, it also includes a variety of additives, typically to improve texture and color. Pork, along with chicken and fish, remains a staple of the American diet. These cons, if you will, may be palatable to the American manufacturer and even their consumers, but foreign Most non-organic dairy from the U.S. contains recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) and/or recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), which are lab-generated synthetic versions of growth hormones naturally produced by cows. One of the most notable isractopamine, a drug used in many pork farms to increase pig growth. Milk in the U.S. also contains the growth hormone rBGH (which also goes by rBST)a synthetic man-made growth hormone that's used to increase milk production in dairy cows. It's actually all down to economics. The grapefruit-flavored soda, Fresca, also contains the ingredient. 50 Most Outrageous Fines You Never Knew Existed, Goods and Services That Will Be More Expensive in 2021. But while this is certainly food for thought, it's surprisingly not the reason that high fructose corn syrup is regulated in the EU. In addition to Russia and Ukraine, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Serbia have also banned wheat exports. } else { xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Often, the FDA weighs the health concerns against agricultural demands and decides it's worth it, even if the European Union (with much stricter food processing laws) often doesn't agree. Moreover, a recent ruling saw them banned outright in Mexico, according to Greenpeace. In 1999, serious health concerns prompted the European Union to ban arsenic-based feed additives. California is the only state in the U.S. to be somewhat proactive in restricting potassium bromate by slapping warning labels on products that contain it, but in other countries, it is banned altogether.