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The Dark Side Of American Cuisine: Man Shares Which Seemingly Healthy Foods Are Banned In Other Countries But Still Consumed In The US
Interview
Eating healthy can be more of a challenge in some countries than it is in others. This can be due to numerous factors, such as living conditions, customs, and food quality in local stores, to name a few. The last point is quite a significant one, especially when it comes to the US.
A certified personal trainer and holistic nutritionist named Josh Dech turned to TikTok to discuss why certain products found in the States are banned in other countries. Formerly a licensed paramedic, Josh revealed what additives are used in popular foods, such as meat, salmon, or milk.
His video went viral and attracted over 650k views and loads of comments—people didn’t shy away from expressing their opinions on food processing in the US.
Bored Panda has reached out to Josh, and he was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find his thoughts in the text below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Pork is banned due to a chemical called Ractopamine in the animal feed that increases weight before the animal goes to market, linked to major health issues. That chemical is actually banned in over 160 countries except the States
Thatkamloopsguy 2 years ago
This is one of the reasons Canadians don't want American milk. Can't trust the product.
Jan Rosier 2 years ago
In which European country is pork actually banned? The fodder additive might be banned, but certainly not delicious pork !
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
Pork isn't banned. Pork reared in the USA is banned.
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RELATED:
#2
American chicken is banned by the European Union because it's washed in chlorine
Joelle Jansen 2 years ago (edited)
The chlorine is in such small levels it's unlikely to affect your health. *However*, the only reason the US uses chlorine is because it allows for much "dirtier" ways of keeping the chickens and processing the meat. Which makes it cheaper. Allowing chlorine washed chicken into the EU would give US chicken farmers an unfair advantage. Not to mention that if you actually take care of your chickens and process the meat safely, the chlorine is just wholly unnecessary. This was a whole thing in the renegotiation of some big trade deal a few years ago.
That emo Girl 2 years ago
This is disgusting and exactly why I'm never going to America
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Spocks's Mom 2 years ago
We wash ourselves in chlorine too. And drink it if you drink tap water.
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Becky Samuel 2 years ago
The UK is busy negotiating trade treaties across the world now that Brexit has happened. The US has pushed very hard for us to drop certain food standards and allow imports of foods that come well below what is permitted here. Chlorinated chicken is one of the major bones of contention.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
we had a huge scandal here because of dumping: https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/south-africa-a-dumping-site-for-american-poultry-says-sa-farmer.806167/page-9
Sponge Blob 2 years ago
So that's why some politicians advised to drink bleach. You're already immune to chlorine!
Mouse 2 years ago
Don't be silly. Trump didn't suggest people drink bleach, he suggested they inject it!
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Kip Kip 2 years ago
It is not just that it allows for lower hygiene in the processing, but it makes perfect traceability impossible, because they all get chucked in the chlorine bath, where European chicken processing plants are required to have perfect traceability of each chicken. Also, theoretically a chicken could remain in the chlorine bath for longer than allowed with regards to food safety. I do believe that in the new trade agreement, there is some exception made so US chicken can be exported to Europe
Esme Weatherwax 2 years ago
The US have lower permitted standards on meat production hence why chicken is washed
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Rachel Goodkind 2 years ago
Seemingly healthy products? No way. The EU is smart enough to ban products in the USA that are contaminated in multiple ways as you stated. Chickens, after they are slaughtered and de-feathered, are washed in water containing chlorine or other substances such as PAA (peracetic acid) which is highly noxious. It made poultry inspectors sick. Chickens are washed in water contaning feces particles, which is why they are desperately trying to chemical them clean. This has been going on for many years. Most chicken has been found to have e-coli and similar bacteria in it. Inspectors have stated they do not eat it!. By the way, the EU has also been smart enough to ban feeding chickens, chicken litter, aka chicken sh*t. The FDA/USDA in the U.S.? not so smart, they continue to okay this practice of "recycling" sh*t. I am an ethcal whole food vegan but these contaminants are disgusting. I am so grateful that I do not eat these corpses anymore. peace.
Mario Strada 2 years ago
On the bright side, one can save on swimming pool chemicals by immerging chickens in it.
#3
American ground beef is banned by the European Union because of a chemical called Pink Slime that uses ammonia gas for antimicrobial properties and it's dangerous to consume and destroys your gut
Akiba1907 2 years ago
Now I understand why most people in the US are shocked when they learn that there are countries (like Germany where I'm from) where we eat that stuff raw. I wouldn't like to eat the US stuff after learning what's inside 😅
Jrog 2 years ago (edited)
The whole butchering technique and meat preparation process that is standard in the USA is *wildly* illegal in the EU. From the entrails removal process (the one used in american meat industry allow fecal bacterial contamination of the meat), to the allowed bacterial contamination threshold, to the bleach washing and ultimately the alteration of color with oxygen. Large fast food chains like McDonald in Europe have to source the meat locally because the meat produced to US standards can not be legally sold.
Nicole Weymann 2 years ago
...and made a grand production of it, advertising about their sustainability approach in focussing on local suppliers. I admit I did wonder where that bout of eco conscience came from, as from my experience "better judgement" was right out.
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Marcellus II 2 years ago (edited)
There is no such chemical. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_slime is a cheaper-than-ground-beef meat product, industrially recovered after all the rest. IF recovered using ammonia (which seems to happen in the EU too), THEN it's outlawed in the EU for human consumption (spoiler: it goes in pet food).
Jake Lewis 2 years ago
Yeah there's no due diligence on this site (like most of the Internet)
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Marcellus II 2 years ago
You did read that right but few of his facts are right. The whole article is almost- or somewhat- right; which frankly isn't good enough. It's about food and health, and affordable food.
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Karl Eric Sanzenbacher 2 years ago
I understand that this process is much less common now than it had been about a decade ago.
#4
Milk is banned due to a synthetic growth hormone called rBGH made by Monsanto that increases cancer risk in humans
Meowmeow 2 years ago
And sadly raw or unpasteurized milk is not legal for sale in the US. The only way to legally get it would be to own a cow.
Juririn 2 years ago
You can't legally buy unpasteurized milk in a lot of countries.
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sonofabass 2 years ago
And there is no evidence milk from cows treated with rBGH is any different. In fact this whole post is questionable coming from a "holistic nutritionist"
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Marcellus II 2 years ago
Weasel-words --- the hormone isn't in the milk. The question is if you should feed the cow a hormone that will cause cancer (which she'll die from AFTER she's been slaughtered anyway); I'd say the answer is NO but here it's framed to scare the consumer.
#5
Ritz Crackers are also banned due to high sodium, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and trans fats, considered very dangerous, highly inflammatory, and carcinogenic
Zia Barrett 2 years ago
Hydrogenated cottonseed oil is the reason. That is the stuff that contains transfats, which are very heavily regulated. The company makes them with different ingredients to distribute to European markets, I can easily get them but they have modified ingredients, sae with anything containing hfcs.
Lesley Christie 2 years ago
Thanks, I was starting to get confused as to why I've always been able to buy these and I'm in the UK.
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Rachel Goodkind 2 years ago
The processed and fast foods, so popular all over the USA, are sadly also creating overweight, sick, and unhealthy humans in other countries. Minimize eating any processed foods, stick to whole plant foods as best.
Pineapple 2 years ago
too bad i love high levels of sodium i straight up inject myself with it
RandomEpiBioPerson 2 years ago
Trans fats are pretty bad, but not really carcinogenic, neither are Ritz, even in the US. Yes, they aren't exactly healthy because too much salt and fat, but serving sizes exist for a reason.
Load More Replies... #6
Coffee Mate is also banned due to hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil which is known to have trans fats, which is bad for your heart
StumblingThroughLife 2 years ago
The UK version of Coffee Mate (we only have powdered, no extra flavours) is manufactured without the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil, thankfully.
#7
Froot Loops, they're banned because of the soybean oil, sugars, coloring, and cottonseed oil which are considered dangerous in other countries
Sonja 2 years ago
They are not banned. They're produced without those ingredients especially for the EU. The Import is banned
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
So the us product is indeed banned. It’s irrelevant if a totally different product is sold under the same name.
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Rachel Goodkind 2 years ago
Kids breakfast cereals are horrid. They are like kids eating desert. Give kids whole grain bread, almond butter, and an apple or orange for breakfast. Or, oatmeal and raisins with soymilk or plant mylk.
Mara Is… A Surgeon 2 years ago
I’m wearing a Froot Loops sweatshirt right now lol_ the kicker is i dont even like Froot Loops!
#8
Salmon is banned because of chemicals in the feed like methyl mercury, dioxins, and antibiotics
Marcellus II 2 years ago
The mercury & dioxins are in the feed because they feed them (cheap, wild-caught) fish that live in a polluted ocean (and being higher in the food chain they concentrate them; and these being fat-soluble and salmon being fatty fish they concentrate them more). Spoiler: EU fish has EXACTLY the same problems --- see all the advice to pregnant women not to eat e.g. tuna. I remember (20y ago) wild-caught Dutch smoked eel to be high in dioxine; just 6grammes/ under quarter-ounce would have 100% of your daily limit.
rs_adahl1971 2 years ago
I would assume that this is for farm raised only? I know in Korea they eat a lot of salmon.
Esme Weatherwax 2 years ago
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dioxins-and-their-effects-on-human-health
#9
Mountain Dew is also banned due to brominated vegetable oil and bromine is a chemical used in fire retardants
Zia Barrett 2 years ago
"As of 2020, Mountain Dew, manufactured by PepsiCo, no longer uses BVO in the main line of beverages."
Korean Boi 2 years ago
it still doesn't mean that it is good or healthy for your body to drink
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Michal Pifko 2 years ago
Guess what, water is also a chemical used as a fire retardant. These chemophobic arguments are ridiculous. I don't know if bromine concentrations in Mountain Dew are dangerous or not, but it doesn't matter here. The argument used is a complete non sequitur.
The holistic nutritionist and certified personal trainer emphasized the importance of being aware of the products you consume
When it comes to additives in the food industry, Americans are split into two camps. According to Pew Research Center, just over half of them (51%) believe they can harm one’s health over the years. Others say the amount of additives is too small to have a strong negative effect on people’s well-being.
The research center also revealed that there are over 10,000 additives used in food processing, around 3,000 of which the FDA defines as "generally recognized as safe". They are categorized based on types and application. Some examples of the former include preservatives, sweeteners, and food colorants, among others, while the latter comprises such groups as confectionery, bakery products, beverages, and more.
When it comes to global statistics, the leading types of food additives in market size are thickeners and stabilizers. Thickeners, such as starches or gums, are often found in soups and sauces, while stabilizers are common ingredients in mayonnaise, margarine, or even ice cream.
There are international standards that regulate the usage of food additives. However, different countries might have different policies when it comes to some of them. That is why, as Josh mentioned in his video, certain products that are considered fine in the US can be banned in other countries. It is believed that as much as 80% of processed foods sold in the States wouldn’t make it to the shelves in stores abroad due to specific ingredients.
Some of the foods Josh discussed could be considered healthy, but they are often dangerous nevertheless. “I’m a holistic nutritionist who specializes in gut diseases and even people who eat really healthy can get sick. We mostly understand why junk food is bad, but we rarely understand why 'healthy' foods can be bad,” he told Bored Panda.
“We are still learning so much about our bodies and how our bacteria work. We have more microbes than DNA and we need to take care of them,” he added.
When it comes to the ways of taking care of ourselves and eating healthy, the nutritionist recommended buying local. “The best advice I can give is for people to try to make friends with local farmers and attend farmers markets as best they can. It’s not a perfect system but buying from small, local farms is often a safer bet than mega marts and big food chain suppliers,” Josh said.
Josh’s video encouraged a lot of people to share their thoughts in the comments
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Lesley Christie 2 years ago
I have absolutely nothing against Americans, but this is another reason why I will never be going to America. Some people think I'm mad but I refuse. Guns, police, healthcare, judicial system is enough but hearing all of the people saying they get a bad stomach, im gonna add poisoning to the list.
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
Agreed, poor Americans tho. It's not their fault their state and economy is so f****d, yet they're not able to do much against it. Kind of sad
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BoredPandaSucks 2 years ago
if you see or hear the word "Holistic" in anything to describe someone, or some thing, it is an immediate red flag for what you are about he hear or read is very highly likely steeped in bullsh¡t
Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago
I got as far as "holistic nutritionist,"and stopped reading. Anyone can claim to be a "nutritionist." There are no standards or credentialing requirements for this impressive sounding title, unlike dietician. And god only knows what "holistic" means in this context.
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Jrog 2 years ago
Yet another clueless tiktoker trying to muddle reality for some clickbait view. Most of the stuff in this list is not "banned" at all. Certain manufacturing processes or certain ingredients may be banned, or at least regulated, prompting the manufacturers to use different (mostly healtier and better while slightly more expensive) alternatives.
sonofabass 2 years ago
You should not trust anyone who calls themselves a "holistic nutritionist"
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censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I just figured it out. The for-profit healthcare industry is in cahoots with the junkfood industry. Hmmm... too plausible to reject outright as tinfoil.
Diolla 2 years ago
Downvoted several items on this list because they seemed pretty fact-free to me and only there to get a point across, seeing that all this seems to come from some food influencer.
Pat Bond 2 years ago
Europeans have known this for decades, we don't like corner cutting products that put health at risk. You don't need to take the word of this "influencer" you can take it from The European Food Safety Authority EFSA https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en The EU is the largest trading bloc in the world with very high standards. If you want to trade in the EU you meet them, side effect is that you will be able to sell your product anywhere in the world as a result.
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LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
This is why I love many European countries' approaches to food. When I used to live in Spain, food was something to be savoured and fully enjoyed. Even as a poor student I was able to eat healthy and delicious meals made with fresh ingredients. There is the wonderful "menú del día" (daily menu) served by many restaurants for an extremely affordable price. I truly wish that both the United Kingdom and the United States would adopt more of a love for stopping and savouring their food.
KDS 2 years ago
The reason the food is made with c**p is because the manufacturer want American addicted to them so that people will buy the products. They don’t care that they are ruining our health for a long as they take in profits,the citizens are not entirely blameless in this we could not buy the products.
Marcellus II 2 years ago
I don't know many people that aren't addicted to eating, though... once they start, they can't kick the habit, needing their fix 3x or even 4x a day!
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Sky Render 2 years ago
So much of this is the result of one specific man in power who felt that the US food industry should be about profit and not about healthy food. This was back in the 1970s, I believe. It was his twisted policy that caused a lot of the changes to how food is made here to be less about keeping people alive and well and more about squeezing more money out of the process to increase the personal wealth of the heads of massive food production companies.
New Everywhere 2 years ago
Who is this person? I very much need to do some research
Load More Replies...
William Teach 2 years ago
So, TikToker scours the internet for things that were already known an posts them like it's original? Huh.
Lesley Christie 2 years ago
I have absolutely nothing against Americans, but this is another reason why I will never be going to America. Some people think I'm mad but I refuse. Guns, police, healthcare, judicial system is enough but hearing all of the people saying they get a bad stomach, im gonna add poisoning to the list.
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
Agreed, poor Americans tho. It's not their fault their state and economy is so f****d, yet they're not able to do much against it. Kind of sad
Load More Replies... BoredPandaSucks 2 years ago
if you see or hear the word "Holistic" in anything to describe someone, or some thing, it is an immediate red flag for what you are about he hear or read is very highly likely steeped in bullsh¡t
Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago
I got as far as "holistic nutritionist,"and stopped reading. Anyone can claim to be a "nutritionist." There are no standards or credentialing requirements for this impressive sounding title, unlike dietician. And god only knows what "holistic" means in this context.
Load More Replies... Jrog 2 years ago
Yet another clueless tiktoker trying to muddle reality for some clickbait view. Most of the stuff in this list is not "banned" at all. Certain manufacturing processes or certain ingredients may be banned, or at least regulated, prompting the manufacturers to use different (mostly healtier and better while slightly more expensive) alternatives.
sonofabass 2 years ago
You should not trust anyone who calls themselves a "holistic nutritionist"
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I just figured it out. The for-profit healthcare industry is in cahoots with the junkfood industry. Hmmm... too plausible to reject outright as tinfoil.
Diolla 2 years ago
Downvoted several items on this list because they seemed pretty fact-free to me and only there to get a point across, seeing that all this seems to come from some food influencer.
Pat Bond 2 years ago
Europeans have known this for decades, we don't like corner cutting products that put health at risk. You don't need to take the word of this "influencer" you can take it from The European Food Safety Authority EFSA https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en The EU is the largest trading bloc in the world with very high standards. If you want to trade in the EU you meet them, side effect is that you will be able to sell your product anywhere in the world as a result.
Load More Replies... LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
This is why I love many European countries' approaches to food. When I used to live in Spain, food was something to be savoured and fully enjoyed. Even as a poor student I was able to eat healthy and delicious meals made with fresh ingredients. There is the wonderful "menú del día" (daily menu) served by many restaurants for an extremely affordable price. I truly wish that both the United Kingdom and the United States would adopt more of a love for stopping and savouring their food.
KDS 2 years ago
The reason the food is made with c**p is because the manufacturer want American addicted to them so that people will buy the products. They don’t care that they are ruining our health for a long as they take in profits,the citizens are not entirely blameless in this we could not buy the products.
Marcellus II 2 years ago
I don't know many people that aren't addicted to eating, though... once they start, they can't kick the habit, needing their fix 3x or even 4x a day!
Load More Replies... Sky Render 2 years ago
So much of this is the result of one specific man in power who felt that the US food industry should be about profit and not about healthy food. This was back in the 1970s, I believe. It was his twisted policy that caused a lot of the changes to how food is made here to be less about keeping people alive and well and more about squeezing more money out of the process to increase the personal wealth of the heads of massive food production companies.
New Everywhere 2 years ago
Who is this person? I very much need to do some research
Load More Replies... William Teach 2 years ago
So, TikToker scours the internet for things that were already known an posts them like it's original? Huh.
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