The European Food and Safety Administration (EFSA) is strict on its food regulations and for good reason. The foods or food additives that the EFSA bans are for three main reasons.
- They contain harmful ingredients for human health
- Sprayed with harmful pesticides and chemicals
- Do not have ethical or sanitary raising methods.
These foods can be linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hormone disruptors, and more. Here are 16 American foods that are banned in Europe.
Different Methods for Food Regulation
Europe follows a preventative approach to food regulations known as Qualified Presumption of Safety where they extensively test foods before they are put on the market for consumers. Whereas the US follows a reactionary approach called Generally Recognized as Safe where the US lets food and chemicals be introduced into the market and it is only until they are proven to be unsafe that action is taken.
Shelf Stability
Ever wonder why so many foods in the US are so shelf stable and can last for years? It’s because many of these foods have certain chemicals and dyes that were made to last. While it can be convenient for pantry staples, it’s inconvenient for human health. To find products that don’t contain these ingredients, are not sprayed with chemicals, or pumped with growth hormones you need to go to specialty stores. Even then, the price is usually increased, and it’s not affordable for everyone.
Europe Isn’t Perfect
Although, this isn’t to say that Europe is perfect. Many food items here have rapeseed oil as one of the top ingredients. It is safe, but for me, causes inflammation. Many cosmetic and cleaning products have chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a hormone disruptor.
It’s safe to say that the US and EU have different approaches to food that show in the health and well-being of their citizens. I find it comforting to go to the grocery store here in Sweden and not have to read or worry about all the ingredients.
*I always say American, when I always mean The United States of America.
1. Apples
Have you ever noticed apples in the US are so shiny? The reason is that they are coated with a chemical wax giving them that shine. The chemicals in the wax have been linked to certain cancers and therefore banned in the EU. So a good bet can be buying organic apples.
2. Flatbread
Flatbreads contain potassium bromate which is an oxidizer that helps bread to rise. This chemical is a carcinogen and has been linked to kidney and thyroid cancers in rats. Other foods containing this include certain wraps, bread crumbs, and bagel chips.
3. Bread
Azodicarbonamide is a whitening agent found in both cereals and breads in the US. It’s known to be a chemical that is in yoga mats..so that’s comforting. Studies have been shown that it can induce asthma and other respiratory problems in humans.
Fast food joints like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc still use this in some of their bread products.
4. Farm Raised Salmon
Farm-raised salmon is a wild concept. Salmon are raised in tight tanks or nets in the water where disease is likely to spread quickly and easily. They are fed feed that contains a mix of chemicals and antibiotics. One of the chemicals is methyl mercury which is also found in fluorescent lights and batteries.
5. Corn
American corn is sprayed with the chemical Atrazine.
Atrazine affects sexual development, the changing of the hormone cycle, and birth defects. It’s also banned in 44 countries.
6. “Fat-Free” snacks
I remember fat-free snacks being all the rage in the early 2000s when Americans thought fat was the enemy of weight gain and these fat-free snacks were the solution.
However, when reading the ingredient labels of these snacks, they replaced the fat with a chemical called Olestra.
Olestra is an additive to substitute fat and has been extensively linked to gastrointestinal disease in children and terrible diarrhea in adults. All while shown to increase appetite.
7. American beef, chicken, and pork
Most meat in America is pumped with artificial growth hormones and antibiotics. The animals are also fed an unnatural diet of chemical-ridden feed. One of the chemicals is ractopamine, which has shown health problems in both animals and humans including reproductive, cardiovascular, and endocrine problems to name a few.
In addition, these animals are also raised in very unsanitary conditions, aka factory farms, where they are kept in a tight environment and disease can be rampant.
Chicken in the US is washed with chlorine. Then beef can have pink slime (sounds appetizing right?) which is a filler for US beef made from ammonia gas.
The by-products made from these animals like eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, and milk are also banned in Europe.
8. Chocolate Milk
Most chocolate milk contains a carcinogen that allows the chocolate and milk to emulsify and thicken it. This emulsifying agent has been linked to higher levels in breast and prostate cancers.
This agent is also found in baby formula, salad dressings, ice cream, and more.
9. Gum
Chewing gum in the US has a preservative called butylated hydroxyanisole more commonly known as BHA. This chemical is used to keep food fresh, but it has proven links to causing cancer in rats and be an endocrine disruptor.
BHA can also be found in potato chips, cereal, cake mixes, packaging, cosmetics, snack foods, frozen foods, meats, butter, dehydrated potatoes, and beer.
10. Food dyes (Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5, 6)
One of the most dangerous things about these bright dyes is that they usually are aimed to attract children. There have been studies that show Blue #1, in particular, can cross into your brain barrier. These dyes have been shown to increase symptom severity in kids with ADHD.
Foods containing these artificial food dyes include pickles, Maraschino cherries, Nacho Cheese Doritos, M&Ms, Skittles, cereals, Gatorade, V8 Juice, and Poptarts.
Europe uses dyes with items like fruits, vegetables, and seasonings for their foods.
11. High Fructose Corn Syrup
While high fructose corn syrup isn’t fully banned in the EU, it is still highly restricted. HFCS is strongly linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. It can be found in many US products, but soda and candy are some of the best to avoid.
12. Sugar Cane
Like corn in the U.S., sugar cane is also sprayed with the weedkiller Atrazine. As mentioned, this pesticide is known to be an endocrine distributor and causes birth defects, reproductive tumors, skin sensations, and more.
After spraying the crop with Atrazine, it also easily leaks into the waterways and harms the environment and wildlife.
13. Peanut Butter
Not all, but a good amount of peanut butter in the US contains palm oil. Palm oil is banned in the EU. It’s not great for human health. Harvesting is the top cause of deforestation in both the Amazon and Indonesia.
Indonesia is orangutans’ only home, therefore palm oil cultivation is also contributing to its declining population.
14. Citrus Sodas
Citrus sodas include Mountain Dew, Sundrop, and Crush Pineapple. They contain Brominated vegetable oil, which is a vegetable oil that is modified with bromide. Studies have found that BVO can get into fat tissue and affect your thyroid, which in turn affects your metabolism and hormone regulation.
As of July 2024, the FDA no longer allows BVO, although I believe it is still allowed in the beverages already on the market.
15. Blueberry Granola Bars
Artificial blueberry in foods are made with dyes that are derived from petroleum. This is obviously a problem and it has been linked to brain cancer, nerve cell degeneration, and hyperactivity. There are European countries, that still have blueberry-flavored snack foods, but they use real blueberries.
Common foods that contain artificial blueberries are NutriGrain bars, Eggo waffles, and blueberry cake mixes.
16. Ritz Crackers
These foods contain hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils. These oils are high in trans fats that are known to increase your risk for heart disease
These oils can also be found in Coffee Mate Creamer and Pillsbury Biscuits
I knew there were disparities between what was allowed in the US vs. Europe. But after seeing how many American foods are banned in Europe and the reasonings, all I have to say is… IS THE U.S. TRYING TO POISON US?
