You might find it surprising that certain foods commonly found in American households are prohibited in other countries due to ingredients linked to potential health hazards.
In American supermarkets, you’ll encounter aisles filled with vibrant snacks, easy-to-prepare foods, and familiar products that many Americans have been accustomed to eating since childhood.
However, outside the United States, these everyday items might be scarce because they are banned in certain places.
The reason? Many countries enforce stricter regulations concerning ingredients, food additives, preservatives, and production practices, often due to concerns over long-term health or environmental impacts.
It’s not just processed foods on the banned list; even some basic food items grown in the US are restricted from exportation to various countries.
Let’s look at eight American foods that are prohibited beyond US borders.
In the United States, all Atlantic salmon is cultivated to protect the wild population.
Various countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have restrictions or bans on American salmon due to additives like synthetic astaxanthin, used to give the fish a pink hue, and concerns regarding antibiotics and higher levels of PCBs compared to wild salmon.
This convenient boxed meal, beloved by many Americans, faces bans or restrictions in parts of Europe due to its artificial dyes (Yellow #5 and Yellow #6) and preservatives.
Norway and Austria are among the countries that limit these dyes.
These well-known treats are absent from several European nations, such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland.
The crackers include partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, a trans fat associated with heart disease.
Widely found in American kitchens, this popular coffee sweetener is banned in numerous regions globally because of its components.
Containing hydrogenated vegetable oils, a trans fat source linked to cardiovascular issues, Coffee Mate is prohibited in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland.
One of the more unexpected items on this list is a fruit.
American apples are effectively ‘banned’ in the EU due to concerns that they contain unsafe levels of the pesticide diphenylamine (DPA), which helps preserve their freshness.
It might sound peculiar, but it’s possible your American bread contains the same chemicals found in yoga mats, according to The Guardian.
Certain chemicals serve as whiteners, dough conditioners, and rising agents and can be harmful, such as potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide (ACA).
Potassium bromate is banned in the EU, China, and Brazil. India has prohibited it since 2016, while the UK has done so since 1990.
Azdicarbonamide has been banned in the EU for over ten years.
This cereal, favored by children, is available in the US with food dyes Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, and the preservative BHT.
These food dyes have been associated with behavioral problems. A version using natural colorings is available in the UK and Canada, but the cereal is banned in France, Austria, Norway, and Finland.
American pork is banned in some places due to the use of ractopamine, a drug that promotes muscle growth in pigs. It’s banned in the EU, linked to heightened cancer risk, increased heart rate, arterial hardening, and higher blood pressure.