Some foods in the U.S. might seem totally normal, but in other countries, they’ve been pulled from shelves or heavily restricted for years. We looked through ingredient lists, searched through news archives and food safety reports, and came across many things other countries have collectively said “no” to a long time ago. Here are 13 foods the U.S. lets you buy that other countries have banned.
Skittles & other foods with titanium dioxide
That perfectly bright color on Skittles and some other candies? Much of it is due to titanium dioxide. Europe has banned it as an ingredient over possible links to DNA damage. In the United States, titanium dioxide can still be in food as long as it’s less than 1% of the total weight of the product.
GMO foods
Here in the States, you’ll find GMOs in all kinds of crops, from corn and soy to canola and the occasional zucchini. Farmers like them because they grow faster and resist pests, but not everyone is on board. In places like France, Germany, and much of the EU, some GMO crops are heavily restricted or banned over environmental worries and possible long-term health risks.
Potassium bromate in bread
Potassium bromate is a chemical that helps bread rise higher and makes it fluffier. It has been banned in the UK and countries like China and India as it has shown a link to cancer in research studies. Since the FDA has not yet banned it from the United States, it still appears in many store-bought loaves and baked goods.
Red dye 3 (erythrosine)
This vivid pink-red dye shows up in things like cake decorations and gummy candies. The UK has banned it for years, and in 2024, the FDA finally agreed to start phasing it out after several studies suggested cancer risk. It can still be found in some products while supplies last, so if you’re trying to avoid it, be sure to check food labels.
Azodicarbonamide in bread products
Nicknamed the “yoga mat chemical” because it’s used in foam products, this additive was also used to make bread softer and dough easier to work with. It’s banned in the EU and Australia, but it’s still technically legal here. Many chains have ditched it after public backlash, but it pops up in some lesser-known brands.
Ractopamine in pork & beef
Feed additives containing ractopamine help livestock like pigs and cattle put on more lean muscle mass and less fat. As a result, they grow to market weight faster. Over 160 other countries have banned it due to animal welfare and safety concerns. But it’s still used here.
Olestra (fat substitute)
Olestra is a fat substitute that was hyped as a miracle ingredient in low-fat chips back in the 1990s. It blocks your body from absorbing nutrients and can cause some unpleasant digestive side effects. Although it’s banned in many countries, you can still find it in some U.S. snack foods.
Farm-raised salmon with artificial coloring
Wild salmon have a natural pink color due to carotenoid pigments in their food sources. Farmed salmon sometimes have gray or brown flesh, so artificial astaxanthin is added to their feed to color their flesh the same way. The practice was banned in other countries, but it’s common in salmon sold in U.S. grocery stores unless it is labeled as “wild-caught.”
Little Debbie Swiss Roll (yellow dye 5 & 6)
These snack cakes are iconic, but they contain dyes that have been banned or restricted in parts of Europe for possible links to hyperactivity in kids. Over there, foods with these dyes require warning labels. Here, they’re just another ingredient on the box.
Instant noodles with TBHQ
TBHQ is a preservative that keeps instant noodles on shelves for years. It’s not banned in the United States, but countries like Japan have limited or banned it. Studies conducted on animals have shown that excessive amounts of TBHQ can cause health issues.
Chlorinated chicken
Here in the U.S., it’s totally normal for chicken to be rinsed in a chlorine solution before it ends up at the store. The idea is to kill bacteria like Salmonella, but critics say it’s just a quick fix for sloppy farming practices. That’s why the EU and the UK have put a hard stop on it, choosing stricter hygiene rules on farms instead.
Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST) in dairy
This man-made hormone helps cows produce more milk, which sounds efficient, but it’s controversial. While the FDA insists milk from treated cows is safe, other countries like Canada, Japan, and all of the EU have banned it.
Stove top stuffing (BHA & BHT preservatives)
The nostalgic prepackaged boxed stuffing mix you picked up on the way home for Thanksgiving or Christmas comes with some controversy. The preservatives BHA and BHT have been found to possibly increase cancer risk. So, regions like the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan have banned them from food.
Sources:
Food Regulations in Europe vs. the US
