Foods From USA That Are Banned In Other Countries!
Food, Bhojan, Lebensmittel, Canyin... the pronunciations and spellings might vary but the joy felt by anyone on seeing a platter of their favorite meal arriving is universal! Food knows no barriers, language restrictions or diplomacy. It is what it is.
Image Source: BK/flickr.com
Having said that, some food items have some restrictions, but that is solely our fault as mankind’s greed knows no bounds and we are used to taking a shortcut wherever possible, no matter what the consequences are. In recent history, America has proved to be a very valuable treasure trove for goodies and mouth watering dishes. Fast food chains have grown faster in number than breeding rabbits. But even the US of A has missed out on certain food and beverage items that are potentially hazardous to health.
So here’s a list of food items that might be banned in some countries of the world but are still readily available in USA:
Some Beef With The Ham
America’s favorite hamburger and bacon are usually heavily contaminated due to the active use of synthetic hormones in their diet before slaughtering. This causes a rise in the chances of hormonal cancer in the people who consume the meat. Also an asthma medication Ractopamine is fed to pigs to make them more muscular, and in turn more meat.
Image Source: pixabay.com
Diseases: Cancer, Insomnia, obesity and headaches
Banned in: European Union, China, Japan, Australia and others
Olestra in Chips
The ultimate cholesterol free substitute
that is used in so called fat-free chips and fries are not so healthy
after all. There have been various reports about its harmful effects and
many countries have taken steps for the same.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Diseases: Vitamin depletion and oily anal leakage
Banned in: United Kingdom, Canada and others
Red-‘Dead’-Bull
One of the ingredients in drinks like Mountain dew, some energy drinks and sodas is a chemical called Bromine Vegetable Oil (BVO). Bromine is quite dangerous as it is toxic and is a central nervous system depressant. Though many reports are out on BVO, but the results are ambiguous. Some countries have toughened their stance against it, while others readily accept it.
Image Source: Mike Mozart/flickr.com
Diseases: Cardiac arrhythmias, birth defects, thyroid problems
Banned in: European Union, Japan and others
‘Baking’ Bad
No the baked bread doesn’t have crystal meth inside it, but the compound added to it is still bad. Potassium bromate is harmful because of the bromide content in it which can cause a host of problems. The companies insist on adding it as they claim it bleaches the dough and makes it elastic.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Diseases: Thyroid problems, cancer, gastrointestinal discomfort
Banned in: European Union, Canada, China and others
Dye Another Day
The very dyes that make our food items like cereals, cupcakes and sports drinks so colorful and tasty to eat are the ones doing the most damage. Studies have established a close link between the chemicals in these dyes to a variety of health hazards.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Diseases: Brain cancer, obesity, nerve-cell deterioration
Banned in: France, Norway, United Kingdom and others
Cereal Killer
Again popular additives in the manufacturing of cereals, butter, chewing gums and nut mixes, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) have caused cancer in animals. The companies add it to extend the longevity of their food products and protect them from getting stale.
Image Source: frankieleon/flickr.com
Diseases: Cancer
Banned in: United Kingdom, Japan, some European countries
Irradiated Food
Some of the food items like fruits, vegetables and raw meat have traces of radiation as they are often exposed to it for keeping the food preserved and fresh. This is not a very safe arrangement and has been countered by many food agencies.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Diseases: Stomach upset, change in chemical composition of food
Banned in: European Union
Murky Milk
Nothing tastes as good as a glass of cool, refreshing milk after a hard day’s work. But because of compounds like recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) and recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), which are injected into cows to increase milk production, health problems have increased in cows. Not only cows, even the humans who consume this milk suffer from a number of diseases.
Image Source: pixabay.com
Diseases: Weakened muscle growth, infertility, cancer
Banned in: European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan and others
Genetically Engineered Food
Though quite a few varieties of fruits and vegetables are genetically engineered, the papaya is one such fruit that is modified to be resistant to ringspot virus. Animals which were fed some modified food items suffered from an assortment of horrible diseases. Human testing is still in a very primitive stage.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Diseases: Tumors, intestinal damage, sterility, premature death
Banned in: European Union
Meat Additives
Pink Slime is popularly used to add to the bulk of cheap meat used in hamburgers, sausages and minced meat dishes. It is basically made from the meat that is left attached to bones and is pulled out by a machine with the cartilage included. The problem lies in the fact that such meat may be tainted with pathogens in the bone thus causing many infections.
Image Source: Jason Rogers/flickr.com
Diseases: Infections due to pathogens
Banned in: European Union
There are countless other examples of dishes that are or have been banned in the past like the Maggi-gate in India, where the popular instant Maggi noodles produced by Nestle were banned for a few months on allegations of high lead content. Though we understand that ‘Food is Love, Food is Life’ is the case for some people, but it is always advisable and of course the smarter move to look deep before you let your mouth run loose and gorge on the fabulous dishes brought in front of your noses.
Cover Image Source: pixabay.com
