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30 People Reveal What Stores Stock In Their American Food Aisles: “What’s Wrong With Your Country?”
Being a shop owner is a lot of hard work. You’re competing against massive conglomerates and local stores for a very limited number of customers. Not only do you have to stand out from the crowd, but you also have to find some way to connect with consumers so you can offer them what they truly want, not just what you think they might want. Plus, you have to find a way to cater to hungry tourists and expats from abroad, too!
In an interesting thread, some of the AskReddit members living outside the United States revealed the food items that their local shops have stocked in their ‘American’ aisles. From peanut butter to Lucky Charms and beyond. Scroll down to see what their shopping and dining experience is like.
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#1
Candy, candy and more candy.
When what I want is Triscuits, which are obscenely expensive over here in the UK.
You don't know how lucky you are to be able to get Triscuits so easily.
I have a box and a half now ( boyfriend treated me) and allow myself one at a time. How sad is that?
RELATED:
#2
In the UK Ranch flavour Doritos were launched as "Cool American" flavour and later changed to "Cool Original" because we don't know what Ranch is.
#3
Snyder's honey mustard pretzels are the s**t and that's usually the only place I'll find them.
The_First_Viking:
If you ever want to really understand America, check the nutritional information on those. They're like a billion calories per serving, and a serving consists of "I looked really close at the package." You can gain fifty pounds just by thinking about eating some.
One of the best things about traveling abroad—at least for us—is trying unseen and untasted dishes from different cultures and cuisines. At the same time, there will be moments when you get homesick. And a little taste of home with a dash of nostalgia can help with this. So, it can genuinely bring a smile to your face when you see familiar ingredients, products, and meals at a shop.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov, topping the list of the most popular American dishes in the first quarter of 2025 were [drumroll, please] French fries. They had a fame rating of 99% and scored a whopping 85% in terms of popularity.
In second place were mashed potatoes (98% fame, 84% popularity), followed very closely behind by the mighty hamburger (also 98% fame, but 83% popularity).
#4
When I lived in Germany there was a little American food section in my store that had "American cookies" (chocolate chip), "American ice cream" (cookies and cream), and the most expensive Oreos ever. All of the packages had US flags on them.
Also around July 4th they had packages labeled "American drinking game" and it was several Solo cups and 2 ping pong balls.
YouGov found that the other most popular American dishes this year included fried chicken, the legendary grilled cheese sandwich, the cheeseburger, steak with baked potatoes, hash browns (yum!), and steak with fries.
In tenth place was corn on the cob, followed by apple pie, barbeque ribs, the simple yet yummy turkey sandwich, tater tots, chicken wings, roast beef, chicken nuggets, and the Philly cheesesteak. Chicken pot pie was nineteenth in terms of popularity, while hot dogs claimed the twentieth spot in the poll.
#7
We don't have a whole aisle, but there is a three-foot section of weird-looking sweets and biscuits that I've seen on US TV. It's next to the Polish section, which is about eight feet of horrible pickled things.
#8
In American aisle in Ireland you’ll find lucky charms.
anon:
Omg yes! Every time we enter that aisle (during the time when they are in stock, which is very rare), my dad starts going off about how they’re making fun of us and how I should never buy them. I do anyways and I’m still waiting for when he’ll notice and lose his mind. Damn are they ever good.
#9
Cheese in spraycans for whatever f*****g reason.
anon:
Uh actually, yeah that's a thing. It's called easy cheese. Don't question it, get some chicken n a biscuit crackers and spray an x on em. Yes cheese in a can sounds like an an abomination, because it is. But it can be good depending on what you put it on.
Robin Roper 7 months ago
As God is my witness, I have never and will never eat spray cheese - US Citizen
What’s your shopping experience like dear Pandas? What American food items can you find in your local shops? What products and dishes from the United States do you wish stores would stock more often?
What are, for you personally, the most quintessentially American foods that you simply love? Grab a snack and let us know in the comments below.
#10
Cans of mashed pumpkin. I don't know why they import that but it must be import to someone. Also cherry cola and pop tarts. I never buy any of them but I do get the delicious Dutch butter cookies or cinnamon biscuits while I'm there!
dont_slap_my_mama:
It's how we make pumpkin pie :)
Tabitha 7 months ago (edited)
Since extracting pumpkin pulp from a pumpkin is damned difficult and messy AF (yep, tried it once—ONCE), when you want to make any recipe that calls for pumpkin—-pie, muffins, soup, bread, roll, etc—-you will fall to your knees and thank Libby’s for doing all the hard work for you.
#11
Don’t know too much about american products where i work, but there’s Dr Pepper, Reeses, Pop Tarts, Cheetos, Hersheys & probably some other stuff...
Btw, im from New Zealand but we call them “international” aisles where there is a mix of products from other countries.
Dragons Exist 7 months ago
I wonder what the NZ Dr Pepper tastes like - the bottle I had in the UK tasted exactly like diet American Dr Pepper
#12
The one thing I consistently find whenever a store has an American aisle is Mac 'n' Cheese boxes. Like those with quick-cook macaronis and the yellow powder you mix in. It can be good as a treat some times since we don't really have something similar here (Sweden), but it's ironically really expensive.
Scott Rackley 7 months ago
We need to send over some Cracker Barrel shells and cheese. It has 50% more heart attack in it.
#14
I just took a photo of it (from New Zealand).
Reset Game 7 months ago (edited)
That's the worst of the American food 😞. Cherry Coke is okay but where's the Dr pepper? Where's the Pop-Tarts? Zingers?
#16
Marshmallow fluff in a plastic jar. Do you people eat that in America?
Alex Martin 7 months ago (edited)
Fluffernutters, its a New England (northeast US) thing. Marshmallow fluff with peanut butter on bread. Whatever you do, do not insult fluffernutters in the presence of anyone from that area of the country. They'll be offended and then make you eat one so they can prove you wrong.
#17
A lot of weirdly expensive candies.
#18
The one thing that I do want is not available anywhere in my country. For some weird reason Dr. Peppers stopped selling in Slovenia some 20 years ago, now when I want some I have to drive to Croatia (where there is a single store that I know of that has a steady suppply). I'd love to know why my country is "embargoed" by Dr. Peppers.
#19
Lucky charms, gatorade, arizona drinks, mallow fluff and a bunch of sweets like nerds, mike nd ikes and suchlike
oh yeah, and butterfingers. dang I love those things
i’m from Scotland and this is in my local tesco extra :).
Kyle Simonson 7 months ago
Mike 'n Ikes are more popular internationally than they are in the states..
#20
Over at LIDL, a German store that crossed over to Italy, they make an American Week every now and then, where hot dogs, hamburger buns, wings, American style sweets and snacks can be bought for dirt cheap.
Lauren Wilder 7 months ago (edited)
We have Lidl here. It's a competitor to Aldi and dollar general. Aldi does a German week too!
#21
Donuts, and those cheesies that are in ball form in that giant plastic container with the red lid.
Amie80:
Cheeseballs!
#22
Swiss miss, root beer, off brand reese's, and all sorts of taco paraphanilia.
also: imported vanilla coke. wich i don't understand, as we have vanilla coke in germany.
here's the deal. if you come to germany, you will notice that there is a lot of american stuff, that we take for granted. we adopted SO many american brands and products. you will NOT find a supermarket that does not have american style sandwich bread, or burger buns. bagles come and go. i don't know why. i guess because they are just breadbuns with a hole in it, and the average german doesn't like it when the leberwurst starts dripping out. point being, in germany it has less to do with products and much more with brands, when it comes to the "american aisle". we even have beef jerky now. what the hell are we supposed to do with beef jerky?
Jenn Smith 7 months ago
Beef Jerky is the best travel snack! No need to refrigerate, and the whole pack fits in a pocket. Yum!
#23
Extremely overpriced cheetos.
€3 for a small single serve bag not even a share size. I tray myself sometimes cos I ducking love them, wish they were more common here
#24
Twinkies, Gatorade, Lucky Charms (ridiculously expensive for some reason) american varieties of Pop Tarts, A1 sauce, Hershey chocolate, Nerds and a few other American sweets. The only thing I ever buy is the pop tarts.
#25
See, there's this store chain here simply called Americanas, and it has... everything. It's just a really big-ish store where they sell everything from candy to appliances to clothes and cellphones and other things.
Most stores here in Brazil are specialized, if you want clothes you find a clothes store for example. Not a rule or every one, of course, but as far as my experience goes. After visiting the US a couple times it finally clicked in my head that Americanas supposed to be emulating the Walmart way of doing things.
Dragons Exist 7 months ago
I was confused by that in Vienna, I'm American and it was weird seeing an aisle full of things labeled "American" because of the brand
#26
Our local butcher in London has as American section, as there are quite a few expats in the neighborhood. Root beer (impossible to find anywhere else), goldfish crackers, Jif peanut butter (which you can now find at some big supermarkets - so much better than that Sun-Pat c**p), and some specific cold cereals that don't seem to be sold here normally (eg plain Cheerios - the Cheerios here are all sweetened multi-grain).
Kathrin Pukowsky 7 months ago
I was really hyped to try root beer, and then my brother brought me some from a visit to an american air base. 25-ish years later, I'm still telling myself that it was just awful because he didn't pay attention and bought the diet version.
#27
AMERICAN HAMBURGERS!!!!!Yeeeaahhh Ameericcaaa!!!
No but seriously the packaging is rideculously American. Red and white stripes everywhere mixed with blue and some stars...
#28
It happens to be American weeks here in lidl.
Bagels, maple syrup, pancake mix, brownie mix, fried chicken, and popcorn
Sometimes something stupid like chocolate with coke flavored candy pieces.
#29
No American aisle but we do have a chain of American importation stores: https://www.tasteofamerica.es/
We have overpriced cereal (10€ for a box of Froot Loops), beef jerky, Reese's Cups (my personal favorite), doctor pepper, vanilla coke, and for some reason Yankee Candles, among other things.
I like to buy there occasionally.
#30
* Pop tarts
* Ready made icing
* Root beer
* Bunch of weird sodas with both corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. What's up with that BTW? Why use both carbs and no carb sweetening?
* Pancake mix
* Reeses pieces
* Hershey chocolate bars (we only have the syrups normally).
Scott Rackley 7 months ago
You need to go to the Mexican aisle for the sodas. They use cane sugar.
#31
I looked at the American section of our largest Tesco (UK supermarket) yesterday coincidentally. This is what I remember;
- Lucky Charms
- Captain Crunch
- Hershey chocolate bar
- Warheads
- Jolly Rancher chews
- Nerds
- Fluff
- Baby Ray sweet bbq sauce
- Some brand of beef jerky I don't remember
- Pop tarts
- Peanut butter and jelly combined in one jar (really?)
- Snapple
There are more but it's largely sugary snacks but they're definitely over priced. Some of the choices are odd because beef jerky has really taken off here and there are lots of more local brands. We already do store own and bigger branded peanut butters, kellogs pop tarts are already sold (so you'll see them in a different place in the same shop).
I think I sometimes see root beer too. Absolutely vile stuff, you can definitely keep that.
#32
Dr Pepper, AW Root Beer, canned pumpkin, a Smore's kit and Reese's PB cups. Coles Supermarket, Australia (select stores only).
#33
Australia: Hersheys syrup, marshmallow fluff (what even is this?) Dr Pepper, Milka chocolate bar and Arizona Ice Green Tea.
#34
No such thing as American aisles in Italy (for what I know). We have some products here and there, like an American frozen pizza with like everything on it, cheddar cheese slices, or peanut butter (but not so common to find).
nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
The idea of buying an American frozen pizza in Italy sounds so, so sad.
#35
Sweets mostly, marshmallow fluff and weirdly salsa, tortillas, taco shells. On shelves marked as American there's mostly mexican food 😅.
Child of the Stars 7 months ago
Most of what you're calling Mexican probably isn't actually Mexican. It's more likely Tex-Mex, which is basically American versions of Mexican food. And as an American who's had actual Mexican (my aunt is an immigrant), the Tex-Mex is amazing in its own flavors, if you get it at the right places.
#36
My favorite thing in the US aisle- Saltine crackers. Why. Chile makes crackers with salt granules on top.
Have a bought them? Hell yeah. They are so thin!
#37
Here in the Netherlands, I've seen more and more American products appear in the normal supermarkets, but never in an "American" aisle. We just don't have the space for a dedicated aisle like that.
Used to be (quite some years ago) that oreos weren't sold in the Netherlands, only in special import stores. Now they're pretty much everywhere.
Jelly beans also have started making it here. Cliff bars are also starting to appear the past couple of years.
Also interesting note, Doritos Cool Ranch are called Cool American here.
#39
The classic stuff.
Doritos,Lays,Cheetos,Skittles,guns,bald eagles, etc.
BUT THE SURPRISING THING IS 80% OF THE LAYS' BAG IS FILLED WITH CHIPS WHEN I BOUGHT ONE AND THATS JUST OUT OF THIS WORLD.
#40
Twinkies, reeces pieces, lucky charms, grape soda, Mike n IKes, hersheys, reeces puffs, American smarties, nerds, pop tarts. I think that's pretty much it. Based on what I've seen in Morrisons.
#41
Rootbeer, hot chocolate mix, gross chess sause, bbq sauce, chocolate poptarts, off brand mac n cheese, marshmallow stuff (it’s a very small shelf)
there’s also peanut butter with an American flag on the packaging, „American“ cookies and brownies with an American flag on the packaging and few other sweets and stuff, but those things aren’t on the American shelf, they‘re in the candy or condiments aisle.
#42
There once was a time when a few stores had an American section at the end of an aisle, where there were Reese's Peanut butter cups, Hershey's Cookies & Cream bars, Nerds and I think at one point they also had Twizzlers there, too.
Since then, unless they stopped selling those in particular, everything has just been added among all the other stuff, like hot dog buns, peanut butter, various soft drink brands, because there are so many products of our own that are very much alike them, so there's no point in separating them.
The most recent "American" thing I can think of is stores and shops branding red plastic cups as "American beer pong" cups.
Brian Droste 7 months ago
The American beer pong cups are a brand of plastic cups called Solo here in the US. I don't know if the beer pong cups have the Solo brand on them. Usually they are red or blue. I believe the red ones are more popular though.
#43
Arizona tea (for about 7 dollars per can), milka chocolate bars, wonka products. All of it is ridiculously expensive.
#44
Australian (Victoria), my local supermarkets don't have an "American aisle". We have sections with British, Dutch and Asian foods, but no American.
A lot of American foods are just mixed in with everything else. Ranch dressing in with the other salad dressings, Hersheys mixed in with other confectionary or sauces, oreos in with other biscuits, pop tarts in with cereals etc
Aldi do often have American foods in their weekly specials: root beer (gross), baby rays sauces, smores kits.
#45
Cherry and vanilla cola, root beer, dr.pepper. Barbeque sauces, franks, some different hot sauces, blue cheese dip, salad cream (yuck) Taco kits, spice mixes, and sauces. Pop tarts, popcorn flavourings, Ben&Jerrys.
#46
As an American living in Germany, my regular store sells "American Style Chocolate Chips Cookies."
#47
I travel to Europe on occasion for work, they don't really have grocery stores like we have in the US, but the convenience stores that have an American Section (stand?), usually it's Oreo products and stuff I've never seen in the USA with the USA flag displayed heavily on the packaging.
nicholas nolan 7 months ago
Which is weird, since the flag c**p is mostly on stuff around 4th of July here. Thank f**k.
#48
There isn't very much in my local supermarkets. Just a few pop tarts, cereals and other sweets. All of it has labels covering up the ingredients and certain advertisements on the packaging. I think it maybe because the labelling rules are stricter here but I'm not 100% sure.
#49
Peanut butter, weird combination of sweets like Chocolate AND marshmallows AND sugared nuts, ketchup, burger buns, roasted onions, diabetes inducing ice cream, marshmallow spread.
Annik Perrot 7 months ago
Chocolate-covered marshmallow has existed here in France for as long as I remember, and I'm 70. "Oursons en guimauve".
#50
It's mostly sweets and cereal here. And the weird flavours of pop tart that nobody buys. There used to be oreos too but they kind of migrated in with the normal biscuits over time.
#51
Lucky Charms.
Reese's mixed pieces.
Reese's mini peanut butter cups.
Jolly Rancher (chews?)
Jelly Belly, Bean Boozled.
Small tubs of American selection sweets (candies)
Huge marshmallows suitable for roasting
Tesco.
PrettyJoyBird 7 months ago
Jelly beans and jelly bellies are yummy. The bam boozle ones are disgusting. Supp to be a fun game for kids to play see who gets the nasty flavors.
#52
It varies at first Oreos were in the American/non EU section but then I guess people liked them enough for them to move to the mainstream cookies.
What is there currently, jerky, bacon bits, hershies, pickle relish just a lot of snacks mostly.
Btw hershies are awful I hope you guys have other chocolate than that.
#53
Some bigger markets have few items. Cherry soda cans. Rootbeer, cream soda. Candies and pop tarts. Mac&cheese. Hot sauces and grill sauces.
#54
In Thailand it is mixed in with everything as here isn't a specific "American" aisle. Hershey, Jif and Skippy peanut butter (expensive), Cereals (Like Cherrios, Special K, Honey Bunches etc.) all are nearly $10 a box, BBQ Sauce, Tabasco, Sargento Cheese (super expensive), PBR just recently made its way here.
There is also a grocery chain specifically carrying imported food and goods. If you can't find it there then it likely does not exist in any shop in Thailand. For example, I have never seen Dr. Pepper anywhere.
PrettyJoyBird 7 months ago
Honey bunches of oates cereal with sliced banana and almond milk is lovely.
#55
Dr pepper ,Arizona teas ,a few cokes ,mallow puff, smore kits pumpkin pie in a can blueberry pie filling pie crusts. Fish batter and some chicken products in Australia.
Brian Droste 7 months ago
Smor kits pumpkin pie in a can blueberry filling pie crusts. I wonder what that would be like and taste. People use punctuation.
#56
My closest imported food store had assorted sharp cheeses, cheetos, American brand potato chips, peanut butter, Hormel chili, herbal teas and a special assortment of stuff specifically from Hawaii (coffees, candied macadamia nuts, etc).
PrettyJoyBird 7 months ago
Macadamia nuts and chocolate covered macadamia nuts are amazing! My moms family is from the Island of Maui, Hawaii. You used to not be able buy on mainland America but now can certain stores for holidays. For example at Costco during Christmas can buy these boxed macadamia nut chocolates for gifts. Melt the chocolate a bit in microwave Oh My Goodness so good.
#57
Don't really have an "American" aisle but we have Lidl and they rotate between diferent countries, when the US comes around they have "american" popcorn, chicken wings, burgers, potato chips and BBQ sauce.
#58
In my part of Australia, there are a handful of American softdrinks and some of your s****y candy/chocolate taking up a small part of the international foods section.
Elsewhere there are a few "American style" items (specific peanut butter, hot dog buns, American BBQ flavours) scattered throughout the store, alongside regular Australian versions. My American wife usually finds them to be inauthentic.
#59
Marshmallows, nerds, weird bottled drink, general American sweets, powered s**t that will definitely k**l you, an incredible amount of different flavoured Fanta.
#60
BBQ Sauces....lots and lots of BBQ Sauces.
#61
First of all, the entire color scheme of the aisle is always completely red with small smidges of rainbow colors. It's also usually right next to the "Mexican food" aisle which has pretty much the same color scheme. But what the "American" aisles usually contain are pop tarts, canned soups, cake & brownie mixes, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, some sort of chips, different flavoured sodas, and stereotypically American candies such as nerds, reese's pieces, tootsie pops, junior mints etc.
I've never seen anyone buy anything from that aisle though and no one is ever around it. But I guess that's kind of understandible since the aisle looks pretty repulsive not gonna lie. The food there looks barely even edible and kinda looks like kid's play food for their play kitchen. I obviously don't know if they actually represent American grocery stores accurately, but that's how they chose to present those aisles.
Nicole Weymann 7 months ago
Slightly OT, but I'd like to know what cakes called "birthday" and "red velvet" are supposed to taste like - and where/if their taste differs from any other sponge cake.
#62
Peanut butter, maple syrup,beef jerky, chocolate cookies inferior to those that we normally have, really grossly sweet hamburger buns.
#63
Hersheys, Lucky Charms, Reese's, Pop Tarts, Payday bars, A&W, bags of giant marshmallows.
It's not so much an aisle at our local supermarket though, more a shelf.
#64
Junior Mints but they’re always in the smallest box :/.
Tucker Cahooter 7 months ago
They are very refreshing. Just don't get them into your abdominal cavity
#65
That foul orange stuff called cheese, it's mostly terrible, except for Jolly Ranchers, I f*****g love those.
What do you think ?
Pernille 7 months ago
My local supermarket here in France has a sign that says that the US shelves will be back when trump is gone. They have expanded the British shelves and now have both Yorkshire and PG tips.
nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
It seems like other countries' "American" offerings are mostly garbage food. We do have good food, I promise.
LilliVB 7 months ago
This I can believe. The USA are a massive country with a lot of global influences due to the constant immigration from all over the world since its origin. It's not likely that every ethnicity of the USA has c**p food.
Load More Replies... Bob Jones 7 months ago
We often have some "American style" products alongside regular products, eg peanut butter, tomato sauce, mayonaise cereal etc etc. "American style" is just code for "with lots of sugar added"
Sarah Belt 7 months ago
Please tell me you forgot the comma after mayonnaise... :)
Load More Replies... Pernille 7 months ago
My local supermarket here in France has a sign that says that the US shelves will be back when trump is gone. They have expanded the British shelves and now have both Yorkshire and PG tips.
nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
It seems like other countries' "American" offerings are mostly garbage food. We do have good food, I promise.
LilliVB 7 months ago
This I can believe. The USA are a massive country with a lot of global influences due to the constant immigration from all over the world since its origin. It's not likely that every ethnicity of the USA has c**p food.
Load More Replies... Bob Jones 7 months ago
We often have some "American style" products alongside regular products, eg peanut butter, tomato sauce, mayonaise cereal etc etc. "American style" is just code for "with lots of sugar added"
Sarah Belt 7 months ago
Please tell me you forgot the comma after mayonnaise... :)
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