Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post Search
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

This Woman Wrote Down Lists Of Ingredients Of US And UK Products, And The Difference Is Disturbing
24.9K

This Woman Wrote Down Lists Of Ingredients Of US And UK Products, And The Difference Is Disturbing

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s no huge secret that food products sold in different countries have slightly different ingredients used in making them. But we do tend to forget this fact in our day-to-day lives, and this usually becomes apparent to us only when we go abroad.

This difference in product ingredients is most notable when going to the United Kingdom from the United States or vice versa. And let me tell you, it’s shocking when you sit down and compare some of the products from the two countries. That’s exactly what American author and food industry critic Vani Hari, better known as Food Babe, did. Read on for Bored Panda’s interview with Food Babe!

More info: foodbabe.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

McDonald’s French Fries

Image credits: Food babe

If you’re living in the US, then the fries you order at McDonald’s might have more than just natural vegetable oil and salt used in the cooking process. While the Quaker instant oatmeal you make yourself for breakfast is also much, much healthier in the UK. When considered broadly, quite a few food products have healthier UK alternatives. This brings into focus the question of whether the extra ingredients are having an effect on Americans and what it might be.

Facebook user Kacey Birch shared Food Babe’s comparison photos online with the words “Are we going to talk about this yet???” and the post went viral, getting more than 8,500 likes, 6,200 comments, and 128,000 shares.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Packets

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Food babe

Bored Panda reached out to Hari, aka Food Babe, to get more info about food, nutrition, and the reasons why products have different ingredients in the US and the UK.

“Europe takes a “precautionary principle” approach towards food additives that are potentially risky. They ban or add warning labels to these additives for their citizens. The US does not take this approach. It does not remove additives from our food supply until they have been proven dangerous – which can take a very long time and a lot of red tape.”

“Big Food companies will tell you that the European regulators are just being overly cautious, that all of the ingredients they put in their American products are perfectly safe. But are they really?” Food Babe asked. “If a company can get away with using cheaper ingredients, they will. Given a choice, they’ll always opt for the cheaper flavor enhancer, and the cheaper color additive, and the cheaper preservative, even if these cheaper alternatives potentially have a negative impact on our health.”

Mountain Dew

Image credits: Food babe

“As I discuss in my book Feeding You Lies, the statistics on the health of Americans is downright grim. The U.S. spends 2.5 times more on health care than any other nation and when compared with 16 other developed nations, we come in dead last in terms of health. More than two-thirds of U.S. citizens are overweight and more than 18% of children are obese. After smoking, obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death. “

ADVERTISEMENT

Heinz Ketchup

Image credits: Food babe

“While there are many causes behind these dire statistics, undoubtedly one of the primary causes is the American diet, which is full of risky ingredients that are not used to the same extent in other countries. American food is overloaded with bad fats, way too much cheap refined sugar, and heaps of synthetic additives,” Food Babe explained.

Doritos

Image credits: Food babe

Hari also talked about what the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to diets are: “Blindly trusting what it says on the front of a food package is a big mistake.”

“Claims like “natural”, “healthy”, “diet”, and “sugar-free” mean very little. Instead, always flip over the product and read the ingredient list. This will tell you the truth about what you are eating. If the food contains any additives or preservatives, ask yourself why they are used and whether they’re really necessary. If you don’t know what an ingredient or additive is or how it can affect your health, put the product back and look for a product made with real food instead.”

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Food babe

Food Babe is well-known in the US and the world, with over 1.2 million followers on Facebook, 283,000 supporters on Instagram, 104,000 fans on Twitter. Hari has had quite an effect on the food industry: she influenced Kraft to stop putting in the artificial orange color in its macaroni and cheese, and also in part helped convince Subway to drop the bread additive azodicarbonamide.

“When I first saw Kellogg’s new Baby Shark Cereal my heart sank. My daughter, who is 2 years old, loves the Baby Shark song —  and I knew when she saw this she would beg me for a box! These ingredients do not belong in our food — especially for children. This is why I launched a petition two weeks ago asking Kellogg’s to remove the artificial colors, artificial flavors, and BHT from their cereals in the U.S. as they do in other countries. It has surpassed 40,000 signatures and climbing.” 

Macaroni & Cheese

Image credits: Food babe

“In 2015, Kellogg’s announced plans to remove artificial colors and flavors from their cereals by the end of 2018. Over 4 years later, Kellogg’s continues to sell several cereals made with artificial ingredients such as Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, and is launching new limited-edition cereals targeting young children made with these additives,” Food Babe claimed.

“Why is Kellogg’s creating brand new cereals with artificial ingredients if they truly want to remove these chemicals from cereals? Kellogg’s makes Froot Loops and Unicorn Cereal in other countries without artificial colors or BHT, so they already have the formula. We deserve the same, safer cereals that other countries get,” Hari expressed her feelings.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: kacey.dawn.37

So, dear Pandas, what do you think about the product ingredient differences in the US and the UK? What’s your opinion on Food Babe? Do you have any personal advice on how to eat and live better? Let everyone know in the comments.

Some people criticized the post

While other internet users had a different opinion

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Share on Facebook
You May Like
Popular on Bored Panda
What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
earloflincoln avatar
Martha Meyer
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I an'tjust can't believe that one commenter who thinks the UK is somehow communist and doesn't have choices at the supermarket... So much eyeroll!

kathinka avatar
fkclflnn avatar
Finn Fickle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the comments there implying that the UK isn't disclosing all the ingredients - yes they are. They are bound by a law and inspections to list all ingredients, undeclared ingredients result in immediate total recalls. Besides, if they didn't and someone had an allergic reaction their entire business will fall, it's happened. Oh, going vegan or vegetarian won't stop this, some of those were vegan and vegetarian.

shireen_2 avatar
Shireen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in the UK and our food is highly regulated - I've tried American food from our super markets and I can instantly taste the artificial colours and flavours. The UK may be highly regulated but atleast we care about what we eat (mostly).

ryu_bakura avatar
Ryo Bakura
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the real reason Americans think our food sucks - theirs is so artificial. Look at how bright their ketchup is compared to ours. What the hell kind of chemicals do they add to it to make it almost neon? And before anyone mentions our Mountain Dew bottles are brighter, that's just the plastic, not the liquid inside. Also, I've tasted both Mountain Dews, and it wasn't the UK version that kept me awake all night.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
earloflincoln avatar
Martha Meyer
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I an'tjust can't believe that one commenter who thinks the UK is somehow communist and doesn't have choices at the supermarket... So much eyeroll!

kathinka avatar
fkclflnn avatar
Finn Fickle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the comments there implying that the UK isn't disclosing all the ingredients - yes they are. They are bound by a law and inspections to list all ingredients, undeclared ingredients result in immediate total recalls. Besides, if they didn't and someone had an allergic reaction their entire business will fall, it's happened. Oh, going vegan or vegetarian won't stop this, some of those were vegan and vegetarian.

shireen_2 avatar
Shireen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in the UK and our food is highly regulated - I've tried American food from our super markets and I can instantly taste the artificial colours and flavours. The UK may be highly regulated but atleast we care about what we eat (mostly).

ryu_bakura avatar
Ryo Bakura
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the real reason Americans think our food sucks - theirs is so artificial. Look at how bright their ketchup is compared to ours. What the hell kind of chemicals do they add to it to make it almost neon? And before anyone mentions our Mountain Dew bottles are brighter, that's just the plastic, not the liquid inside. Also, I've tasted both Mountain Dews, and it wasn't the UK version that kept me awake all night.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
Popular on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda