This Woman Wrote Down Lists Of Ingredients Of US And UK Products, And The Difference Is Disturbing
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
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. “
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
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.
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
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!
Yeah, I really laughed at that one, too. Americans can be so dumb...
Load More Replies...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.
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).
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...You know the funnier part of it all ? If the regulation against hazardous or unhealthy ingredients in food in the UK is so strict, it is THANKS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION, where consumers protection is taken very seriously. These are the kinds of EU regulations that the Brexiters want to rid their country of. Give them a couple of years after Brexit, and processed food in Britain will be just as trash-filled as its US counterpart. So, just like those American posters who sounded proud to have the « freedom » to fill their plates with junk, many people in the UK right now have been actively pushing for political agendas that are AGAINST their own direct interest. This is where propaganda and lack of a proper education will lead you ....
I totally agree, and I am an American who has traveled. I was shocked at how good the food was in the EU (and elsewhere), when I first started traveling and found out those regulations were why.
Load More Replies...Does America not have real sugar (you know like from sugar cane or sugar beets) instead of high fructose corn syrup? It's just gross (tastes gross)
easiest answer: 1) government subsidies for corn production. 2) government tarrifs (extra costs) on sugar production. ie this is happening, by choice, by the US government.
Load More Replies...US citizen here. Here's another problem: Unless you buy meat directly from a farmer, it includes 15% SALINE. We grilled chicken breast yesterday with garlic from our garden and paprika. It was so f'g salty that I thought my husband salted it. The USDA says only a small percentage is injected. We've not found meat without it. Organic doesn't have any, but the prices are unaffordable. I also cook for my parents who are both on a sodium -restricted diet. Regarding the comment KFC honey: In stores here, you also need to check honey and maple syrup ingredients. Many are corn syrup with flavoring. On a side note: Many of us know Orange Guy is an a*s.
Wow! My friend works for a food processing plant. He just told me that any products that are made for other countries must have 60% less corn syrup and sugar than ours.
Load More Replies...I'm curious. In the UK, the ingredients list has to be ordered from most to least, so if your main ingredient is sugar, it has to be featured first, etc, while flavourings and trace amounts are at the end. Do they do that in America too?
Yes they do. But they have very different standards about ingredients - GMO products, HFCS, and a wide variety of drug residues in meat and dairy products are deemed okay in the US and banned in the UK. Same with a number of additives and colourings. This is what is worrying a lot of people about a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, in general terms our ingredients are more tightly controlled throughout the EU.
Load More Replies...If you compare the ingredients in a vanilla shake in US and EU McDonalds you will learn that the US one has 5 time the amount of sugar... No wonder majority of US citizens are morbidly overweight.
It's pretty c**p isn't it! Shame man. It's that little treat you give your self once a month which in the eu results in the equivalent of a once a month treat and in the US the equivalent of a five times a month treat. And if you don't choose junk food as a study area in your life you're none the wiser.
Load More Replies...Packet of "honey" from a US KFC. Honey was the 4th ingredient! Wouldn't it be less expensive to just.. have honey?
No, corn syrup is cheaper. The US subsides corn. It's why we ruin our engines with it and substitute it for cane sugar. We force feed our meat animals with it. The US grows the most corn in the world (by design), so we use it. As far as I am concerned, it's a garbage grade vegetable. It's hard to digest and can pass through the digestive tract, intact. We shouldn't consume or use it, which is why we subsidize it, which is why we have so much of it. See the pattern?
Load More Replies...If it can be done without adding all the extra chemicals, then why add them? Surely that's more expensive for the manufacturer? Actually, I once had an American friend tell me that she thought Fanta Orange in the UK tasted almost like natural orange. I've never had the American version but the fact that I find (UK) Fanta too sweet, made me think it must be vile in the States.
Shelf life. The EU has better food standards than the US and this is why. I have traveled all over the world and it saddens me that food overseas always tastes better than here in the US for common food stuffs. Don't get me wrong, you can get good food here, but you have to pay more for it or cook it yourself, which I regularly do. All my coworkers are always amazed by my lunches and how good they smell. Yeah, I make my own meals...
Load More Replies...Why is this surprising ? The US government has not given a f**k about its people for decades. (Probably since the 1950's). It's not like the US is known for its luxury or gormet standards anyway. Food there has always been dreadful as the size of the population demonstrates. Anyone seen the mobility scooters at Disneyland? Literally 1000's
damn pinko commies regulating the stuff we put into our bodies. What next, removing poo from water?!
Yes, but it can be just a bit worse or directly cancer killer. There're a lot of qualities and, if someday you use it, you'd like that it's the healthier as is possible.
Load More Replies...The Food Babe is dumber than a box of rocks. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics
The United States had the highest rate of obesity within the OECD grouping of large trading economies. Now we know why.
I'm with you on that. I agree with this article in principle, but food babe is just the worst.
Load More Replies...So if I get it the strawberries in the Quaker oat meal actually are dehydrated apples with artificial strawberry flavor?!
And most 100% fruit juices (for example: cranberry) are 80+% apple juice. We were going to buy acai berry juice. 90% apple, 5% acai, 5% grape.
Load More Replies...The power is in the hands of the purchaser. If you Americans don't like the toxic additives - don't buy the product, there will be alternatives, and the manufacturers will soon wake up to their profit reductions.
In the US they have no real alternative, or really expensive one so most people don't really have the choice actually....
Load More Replies...Just don't eat any of that stuff or make up your own versions at home with real ingredients. There. Problem solved.
Many Americans can't afford to do this. This crappy food is much, much, much cheaper than healthy, fresh food and it just isn't affordable for a large amount of people. And the healthcare industry just loves it. Sicker people mean more $$$!! More diabetes = more demand for insulin $$$$$$
Load More Replies...This could be why many American tourists find UK food bland. They're used to stronger tastes from different ingredients.
In-spite of your downvotes I agree, as an American. When you've spent your life eating salty processed food, you lose the taste for natural food. I try to eat as little processed food as possible and was amazed at the taste of food in the EU, when I started traveling for a living.
Load More Replies...Hi, Reuben, our Photoshopper team is already busy fixing it :)
Load More Replies...I live in USA and think maybe if all this artificial c**p was not in our food we wouldn't have such an obesity problem !
The significant differences between US and UK processed food ingredients are 1) sugar vs high fructose corn syrup, 2) "flavouring" vs specific synthetic flavorants, and 3) additional vitamin enrichment in US markets.
They missed the last message, but there wasnt a pic, so , it doesnt surprise me. In Europe is banned lots of american food because of the chemicals they use in their food. Question, why there has to be sweetening in everything?
I would argue that a lot of this has to do with shopping and food storage habits. Here in the states, people have a habit of buying an entire car load of food and storing more of it at home. In Britain and most European countries, people will buy less but more often and keep less on hand. So there's less need for preservatives because things aren't being shoved into the pantry and forgotten as often.
So the food babe's minions are here, downvoting everyone who cites her documented history of half-truths and pseudoscience. I'm sorry that this site, which constantly points out the garbage that anti-vaxxers try to pass off, is allowing this post to stay.
As soon as I saw these were from the "Food Babe" I stopped reading. She's known liar and manipulator. Don't trust anything she has to post to the internet!
Eh, either you work as a lobbyist, or you get your information from gawker, vox, and fox news. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics?t=1570196722858
Load More Replies...I can't believe the strawberries and cream one. It's not even real freeze dried strawberries but strawberry flavored apple pieces. Because money. Kinda sad actually.
I think y'all would be appalled if you check what being sent to Africa.....Nigeria to be precises. What he have here is NOT Kellogg's. I have no idea what it is but it's being pumped here by the truckload.
Yes,sadly Africa has been the dumping ground for lots of 2nd rate products for years and years.Stock-piles of out of date medicine,air-planes with at least 25 years service elsewhere,pesticides banned in Europe but good enough for Africa and has also become the final resting place for ships being chopped up as scrap,to mention just a few cases because the list of unwanted stuff being sent to Africa reads like an old fashioned telephone book
Load More Replies...Oh man I knew Americans were dumb, but not THAT dumb they don't even see what's in front of them. The main difference is in products with sugar. Sugar seemingly is banned in the US and they use high fructose corn syrup, then they have to use a butt load of other c**p to try mimic any sort of flavour. This is why American food tastes of nothing. How are they such fat bastards there's no taste in anything?!
I have worked for a few months in the US, and for many years with colleagues and customers from the US and I can guarantee you from my own experience that the average American is not dumb, at least not dumber than average people in Europe or elsewhere. And their food is not tasteless. You can have anything from expensive meals at fancy restaurants to cheap fast food and most of it tastes good. Finally, even though obesity seems to be more common in the US than in other countries (from what I’ve seen on the streets), calling them fat bastards is an inappropriate exaggeration.
Load More Replies...I just opened all the profiles of BPs who outright criticized the articles author, the Food Babe. Most of them had less than 10 votes. 1 had 400+, 1 had 600+, and only Phil Boswell had over 1,000 votes. It sure looks like most of those who severely discredit her came on BP just for that purpose. “Anony mouse” did it twice. I’m just saying, this makes your name calling and highly critical remarks about look her look very suspicious. Are you food lobbyists? If you are - get off BP.
I am Norwegian but live in Canada. Also disgusted by all the s..t that is allowed in NA foods. However, have also found that there are some ingredients added I Europe that they don’t have to list! So their food may not be a clean as it seems. I thought GMO food was banned in Europe , but no, some foods are allowed. Don’t know about Roundup? It makes me sick that this cancer causing weed killer is still allowed to be used on our foodplants , now so much it has crept into our water system and even organic food gets contaminated. I guess Monsanto got sick of being called the bad guy so now Bayer has bought it. I saw a whole page newspaper ad from Bayer saying Glyphosate (roundup) was safe . Well the World health organisation in Geneva disagrees! Who do you believe?
Currently finding people to bring lawsuits against Roundup manufacturer for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer in the USA. GMO producers needs to be banned and majorly fined out of existence.
Load More Replies...This has somehow turned into a bash on the USA...not everyone here thinks this artificial c**p is ok
I'm from USA our country has an obesity rate that is rediculous. maybe if we had better regulations on the junk they put in our food it wouldn't be so bad !!
We Americans wonder why our population is increasingly unhealthy and overweight. Who cares about choice when all the choices are full of synthetic, lab-created filler? They could be selling us antifreeze as a new mountain dew flavor and the "patriots" would scream "free market". Avoiding artificial junk shouldn't require reading a novel's worth of ingredients on product labels for every item and every trip to the store.
Amen. I am totally flabbergasted at how industrial lobbies (and, to be fair, most of the RP) have succeeded in convincing a whole population that regulation is an attack on freedom ! But when people already believe that regulating guns is communism, how could you ever have them accept regulating food ?
Load More Replies...Our food is ALL about population control. Have you researched the rise of cancer rates? Want to stay relatively healthy? Eat food that doesn’t have an ingredient list attached to it. Whole food.....like our grandparents ate. When you cannot pronounce and ingredient? That’s the number one reason to stick that item right back on the shelf!
this is why we campaigned against TTIP, and this is why we don't want to swap sensible EU safety laws for a bad trade deal with the US, where we will be forced to lower our standards
Great Britain has the National Health Service, which until recently -- when conservatives got hold of it -- provided 95% of health-dental-vision-psychiatric without charge to all citizens. Even with Tory tinkering, it is still worthwhile for government to be involved in regulating processed foods -- there are proven cancer-causing agents in American foods, but corporate shills have been injected into regulatory agencies and even c**p like GMOs are almost untouchable.
A ton of the US things have disgusting corn ingredients..like high fructose corn syrup, since the government subsidizes corn so much. It needs to stop for the sake of health and the economy.
The last-listed US french fry ingredient, dimethylpolysiloxane is "a silicon-based polymer used as a lubricant and conditioning agent. It functions as an anti-foaming agent, skin conditioning agent, occlusive and skin protectant. It is found in many cosmetic and hygiene products like nail polish, conditioners, make-up, contact lens solutions, sunscreens, deodorants, and shampoo. Examples of products that contain dimethicone include Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion and Johnson's Baby Cream."
Firstly. We have Mac and cheese and that's what we call it. I've never seen cheesy pasta before. Second ,people in the UK generally don't have such a sweet tooth as America. Neither is bad just different. On the whole I don't like the food in America and obviously Americans don't like English food. That's fine, why we all need to be the same is beyond me.
I am still scratching my head over the guy who believes not eating meat has ANYTHING to do with the above article! Nothing in there even touches on meat and as a farm raised gal, the MAIN dish in ANY meal starts with REAL MEAT, Be it beef, pork, poultry, venison or other "wild" meat! From there, you add. As for the additives, I don't eat most cereals save for rolled oatmeal and that's not the instant or flavored varieties. I make my own condiments and I DO read labels. I have too many chemical allergies not to!
I would not trust that Food babe, she knows nothing about chemistry and science... https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/food-babe-misinformation-on-travel/
America is finally waking up to things like hydrogenated oils but clearly we have a long way to go. They do it because it's cheaper and they can get away with it here.
I have checked some of these in the uk and they are not always comparing the same products, e.g. the original porridge doesn’t have raspberries. However, the volume of food dyes used in America is shocking. Sunset yellow and brilliant blue are both azo dyes that can cause hyperactivity and (in my case) Anaphylaxis. My honeymoon nearly killed me when I ate some “cheesy” crisps at the airport.
While the UK porridge box shown doesn't mention raspberries or strawberries, but they are there in the ingredient listing, so it's a fair comparison.
Load More Replies...I don't care what anybody says, high fructose corn syrup is not an acceptable substitute for sugar. I quit drinking pop because of that. Now I make pop myself, with real sugar in it.
The Fraud Broad is a charlatan, profiteer, and a Queen among the Karens. She has been debunked by rational writers all the hell over the internet. ~~ https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Food_Babe ~~ https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics ~~ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vani-hari-a-k-a-the-food-babe-the-jenny-mccarthy-of-food/ ~~ Etc.
As a brit (who recently moved away to colombia oof) jm very proud
Pretty simple s**t I learned years ago. If you shop for food in the usa always do your best to find the label that says that the food is real food or at least quality food. Always look for Made in any place that is NOT usa or Imported from _____
Please do not give further attention to food babe. She is a complete hack. Go visit scibabe's website instead.
Holy s**t, why is there so much corn syrup in the ketchup!? Also, it did really bother me that the oatmeal was two different flavours because that feels like missing the point, or that it's going to cause readers to miss the point.
It surprised me too. Heinz is - according to the label - one of the few ketchup brands in the EU that is actually made from tomatoes, without the addition of corn or potatoe fillers.
Load More Replies...Just so you can check out the "Food Babe": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vani_Hari "Vani Deva Hari , who blogs as the Food Babe, is an American author, activist, pseudoscientist, and affiliate marketer who criticizes the food industry.…Hari's ideas on food safety have been criticized by scientists as pseudoscience and chemophobia, and others have drawn attention to her financial interest through promotion and marketing of natural foods."
Great comparison, actually nothing new, makes me wonder if it was worth giving foodbabe publicity. Dangerous quack
Isn't she the idiot that proclaimed she didn't eat anything with chemicals ins it?
Load More Replies...All of the comparisons given are junk food. American grocery stores also carry carrots, potatoes, wheat flour, etc. Those that prefer junk food can eat that if they wish. Most Americans do care about what they eat, but just like Brits A high percentage are not as well educated about food as they should be. Now I've had spotted d**k before. My doctor gave me an antibiotic and it went away.
It is really sad that Americans have to call Britain either Communist or Socialist to excuse the way they lie to themselves
That is typical American, theirs look better so they must be cheating, not that America allows all sorts of crap in it's food.
crazy how some of the Americans are commenting that they have more choice and dont live in a communist country. it's banned for a reason, its been proven to cause cancer etc. the regulations are the same in all EU states.
While visiting UK I noticed everything (junk / snacks ) tasted different. I began to not eat junk/snacks (too busy touring anyway), and I began to think about how I ate in the US. I got used to eating a decent meal...and not grazing over junk all day. The soda taste different too... much less sugar. I drink much less of it now. One little vacation influenced my diet in major ways.
FACT. EU regulations stipulate that ALL ingredients are listed. FACT. EU food standards are higher/ stricter than anywhere else in the world. FACT. UK must brace itself after brexit when we strike new trade deal with US, for plane loads of inedible shite to hit the shelves. God only knows what ingredients are in US pet food, if this is the c**p made for human consumption.
Sometimes labels between different countries are misleading. Compare Czech republic (I will not say Czechia) and Germany. On meat products here we have to write down "% of meat", "% of fat", "% of skin", etc., in Germany they just use "% of schweinefleisch". They use the fat too, because in some products it just belongs. They use the skin too because it is needed for the structure. But on the label of the salami made in Germany it says 95% meat, on (the same) Czech product it would be 55% meat (and 30% fat and 10% skin) (the rest is mostly water, some spices and salt). (Still we have some magicians who can produce sausage with 5% skins and who knows what made mostly from soy, beans, bread crumbs hold together by dark magic and chemicals with names longer that silk road. It is nearly vegan friendly product.)
There is absolutely NOTHING that The Food Babe says that can be trusted.
the problem might originate from the point that American taste has changed gradually during years of course BY these industries and they cannot risk to go back to make healthier product unless they loose some share of they market. For example in artificial colors, if they use natural ones that are usually paled, probably there would be some unsatisfied customers that move the rival products with stronger (artificial) colors.
Canola oil is another name for rape seed oil. According to the Australian Macular Degeneration Foundation, Canola is detrimental to the health of the macula in the retina of the eye.
Tastes like bad fish oil too, and smells worse when cooking.
Load More Replies...Did anyone notice that the oatmeal was comparing two clearly different products? The UK oatmeal isn't even strawberry flavour but Vani put strawberries on the ingredients list anyway. No one saw that?
When "this woman" is the stupid b***h known as Food Babe, you know you're in for a ride on a wave of b******t.
I'm in Canada, and I'm sure we're similar to the USA. It's so disgusting
America's are so needy of everything but that is so impressive of all the time she had to write all the ingredients
Lol, I don't know htf to post a picture on here, can someone please tell me how to do it! I've managed to make the picture into a sticker on my phone keyboard ffs, just can't get it on here! Please help me........
I have lived for decades in both the UK and the US. I remember having a real issue with the way all American food tasted, but then I got used to it. When I returned to the UK after many years, everything tasted kind of bland. It was really weird. Then my taste buds healed and I started enjoying more natural food again, and British food tastes really fresh and lovely. But when I went back to the US again, I was hyper aware that everything was saturated with salt and sugar, and often fat. Like, the bread seriously tasted more like cake than bread, because it had so much sugar in it. Your palate gets used to things being a certain way and that's really why things taste bad or good to us. It's familiarity, and not necessarily a sign that what we're eating is good for us.
What's very sad is that a bunch of the additives (especially the red and yellow colors) have been banned throughout Europe for a very long time, because they were clearly proven to cause a number of issues, including cancer and behavioral issues in children, among other things. The FDA knows all this, but is quite happy to continue to approve this c**p for the American public, because they are in the pockets of the big food companies, who don't care at all about the health of their consumers, because their only focus is profit, profit, profit.
Stop eating c**p, please. Your body will thank you for it. The "food" listed here is mostly junk, ok for rare treats, but harmful if eaten on a regular basis.
Food Babe is neither a nutritionist nor a food scientist. What she does is use pseudoscience to spread fear and misinformation.
This is a great favor to people who care about what they put in their mouths. The American consumer has been poisoned for many decades by the American food producer who is interested only in shelf life and artificial flavoring. The proof is on the label, and later on in the state of your health...disbelief in this at your own risk.
how many people are really reading all the poisonous ingredients, if yes obesity will not be a problem in the US
Seems like a lot of added sugars for no reason over here. Very bad for us Diabetics. Smh.
For most of you saying that the US version of a processed food is worse, you really need to look at the ingredients, and realize that the FDA requires all ingredients to be listed unless it is something like natural flavors, which might be a trade secret. You might also mistake nutritional additives because they can't just call them vitamins and nutrients. For instance, potassium chloride is used to increase the potassium delivery from a certain meal. It is also used in hospitals as an IV method to provide potassium to patients with deficiency. However, we do allow certain unsafe food additives as in the case of Mountain Dew, which has a fire retardant in it.
There is not actually that much differences. The UK original oatmeal was compared to a fruit flavored one. The UK Mountain Dew left out the orange juice and especially the Frosted Flakes. All of the additives listed were vitamins, identical except the US list named the form not just the name of the vitamin. If you don't want additives, boil your own rolled oats and you can add your own sugar, salt and milk.
I am Australian and I know it kinda doesn't include me but I have compared Australian and American foods....exactly the same product and it is shockingly different in taste
Yeah no. If it comes from the Foodbabe it's just automatically trash and not worth reading. She's scientifically illiterate and really stupid. Just look at some of her quotes.
Regardless, we should be eating whole natural foods. Anything thats been processed is a gimmick to scam money out of the lazy cook.
I gawp at the UK list. My countries would be half of the UK list. Although even for McDonalds everything is made in my country. And we have incredibly strict laws on food. (Sweden) for the curious.
That goes for Denmark too.McDonalds had to cut 35% of the fat content in their Burgers(if I am not mistaken) before being allowed to establish in Dk
Load More Replies...Consumers in the US have many choices. Not just the ones that are shown. Heinz Ketchup for example, offers a product called Simply Heinz that has no HFCS. The price is comparable to the regular bottle. Ingredients: tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, cane sugar, salt, onion powder, spice, natural flavoring.
Having tried a few US/UK products of the same name, the main difference for me was that the US versions were a lot sweeter and often had a syrupy feel on the mouth - probably why the US mountain dew has a little vegetable oil and the UK version does not. Both sets of food pale in comparison to Mediterranean and middle eastern food though, so its like comparing mush and slightly sweeter mush.
The Food Babe is no one to listen to. She loves junk science, makes ridiculous claims (passengers getting on to planes are sprayed with pesticides), and so on. She’s full of c**p. https://gawker.com/the-food-babe-blogger-is-full-of-s**t-1694902226
In the UK, food industry is bound by law (strict European food regulations) to list all ingredients and some European countries make it mandatory to label fat, sugar and caloric content green, orange, red. This is scary, non the less
Food labeling laws are rather different in the US. Food Babe is not a scientist. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/08/food-labeling-us-fda-eu-health-food-safety
Rapeseed (UK) and Canola (US) are the same oil. Stop being stupid.
American junk food and food chains has destroyed so much. You can make better burgers than McDonalds, You can make better coffee than Starbucks. Think local – that original Café round the corner in Stockholm with good "Fika" is so much better. If I go to Paris, I certainly don't want to eat american junkfood. Oh, but it's all about the money.
Wow I can't believe all the hate comments on here about Americans. Which is funny because most of "American" ancestors came from Britain. We are not "stupid" because of our food. The only people that are "stupid" is the government who PURPOSELY make un healthy food cheaper so that is what is bought more. For example an average hamburger is a couple dollars where as a healthy salad is over 7 dollars. So if you're on a fixed budget, you pay for the food you can afford. That doesn't make us unintelligent it makes us stuck.
Although there is a real problem in areas without grocery stores, most Americans do have access to fresh food that is inexpensive, purchasing raw and cooking it yourself creates healthier food at a lower cost-per-serving than anything you get at a fast food place.
Load More Replies...If you want to eat healthy mac n cheese, just get a hand of mac and mix it with some healthy cheese and stop complaining that 1 dollar boxed food is bad for you.
Or do yourself your sandwitch. This isn't haute cuisine, everybody knows how to do it and it's faster that waiting for it and pay in a mac thing.
Load More Replies...Writer Jonas - you consider "hydrogenated soybean oil" NATURAL?? Try crushing soybeans and tell me how much oil comes out. Canola oil is " natural?" Have you ever seen a vegetable called canola? Do you eat rapeseed? Well sir, you should do some research and correct your article.
Cottonseed oil is used entirely too often in the US, too. One of the most repugnant tastes.
Load More Replies...All this hubbub about the differences, yet look at the overall health of Americans vs English. Americans have a longer lifespan in average than Europeans, Are basically tied in numbers of obesity among teens and young adults. Have the approximate same % of those who eat out especially at fast food joints. And foods on average have a longer shelf life in the United States and equal costs.
Seriously BP? Thanks for the false controversy... In other news: 1+1= one plus one Glad we had this talk.
But "this woman" in the title is the food babe, who is a complete crackpot/liar/alarmist. Look closely at the Frosted Flakes - all I see is that the US version has more added vitamins ( that all have longer, scarier names). I don't love that she's getting further attention with her pseudoscience.
As someone who travels to the UK frequently I don't find flavours to be any different except with cereals which in the UK are horribly sweet, even non sweet ones. Personally I'm not bothered by artificial additives.
I'm skeptical about this post in general. I mean, I do believe it's true, but those ignorant comments are hand-picked to push a narrative. Many Americans are aware of the garbage in our food and are working hard to push change. Unfortunately, money men have a bigger voice here.
Well, USA men and women could fight for their rights and vote properly. We are doing it in the other countries. It's not a God gift.
Load More Replies...Food in Britain sucks and they have no choice because of communism!!!! .... Jesus Christ you lot are thick! No wonder the rest of the world hates you!!!!!!
Ah... Foodbabe... Wasn't she controversial some time ago? A self declared dietician, right? Everytime I see a Facebook post of her on one of my friends walls I can only roll my eyes and shake my head in disbelief... Regardless the absolute garbage some companies dare to put on the market, European rules might be a bit different regarding food labels and ingredient lists. For the Heinz ketchup for exemple, I don's see much of a difference, be it more a case of naming a certain ingredient a certain way (except for the abundance of high fructose corn syrup in everything).
UK food tastes like food, not like chemicals supposed to give a taste of food...
Load More Replies...I call BS. Think of it logically. Do you really believe a company would make 20 different kinds of a single product? Mass production leads to economies of scale which leads to cheaper production cost/batch costing and results in higher profits. Additionally, most companies promote constancy so if you travel and miss your favorite food, you can go buy it and it will taste the same. That builds brand loyalty.
Except everything shown is factual. You can look it up yourself. Even inside the US there are sometimes ingredient differences between the same product manufactured at different locations across the country, it's not unusual at all.
Load More Replies...EVERITHING has to be declared in European Union, even traces. And, also, it must be everything true, including where are the ingredients from. In US you can sell Valencia's oranges juice when it isn't true, for example, as in Eurpe it's forbidden, fined and the company closed. Also, ingredients must be in order, from more to less quantity, some of them must include the percentage. And labels like "light", "healthy" or even "yogurt" are only allowed in they follow a lo of norms, not only ingredients but about production, etc. A lot of US ingredients are forbidden. There are the same rules in all countrien from EU, including southern countries. Nutella has different ingredients regarding to each country taste, more or less ratio of chocolate, more or less liquid, etc. For exanple, in the south, it's expected to be easily spread on bread, but not in Germany. In general, the German one is better in Germany and the Portuguese one in Portugal, for example. Only US nutella is far more shittie
Load More Replies...No added sugar doesn’t mean the same as no sugar. Sugar naturally occurs in many foods and still needs to be listed in the nutritional information.
Load More Replies...It's just the opposite. Label laws are much harder in European Union, as well as laws concenning which ingredients are allowed to be used.
Load More Replies...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!
Yeah, I really laughed at that one, too. Americans can be so dumb...
Load More Replies...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.
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).
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...You know the funnier part of it all ? If the regulation against hazardous or unhealthy ingredients in food in the UK is so strict, it is THANKS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION, where consumers protection is taken very seriously. These are the kinds of EU regulations that the Brexiters want to rid their country of. Give them a couple of years after Brexit, and processed food in Britain will be just as trash-filled as its US counterpart. So, just like those American posters who sounded proud to have the « freedom » to fill their plates with junk, many people in the UK right now have been actively pushing for political agendas that are AGAINST their own direct interest. This is where propaganda and lack of a proper education will lead you ....
I totally agree, and I am an American who has traveled. I was shocked at how good the food was in the EU (and elsewhere), when I first started traveling and found out those regulations were why.
Load More Replies...Does America not have real sugar (you know like from sugar cane or sugar beets) instead of high fructose corn syrup? It's just gross (tastes gross)
easiest answer: 1) government subsidies for corn production. 2) government tarrifs (extra costs) on sugar production. ie this is happening, by choice, by the US government.
Load More Replies...US citizen here. Here's another problem: Unless you buy meat directly from a farmer, it includes 15% SALINE. We grilled chicken breast yesterday with garlic from our garden and paprika. It was so f'g salty that I thought my husband salted it. The USDA says only a small percentage is injected. We've not found meat without it. Organic doesn't have any, but the prices are unaffordable. I also cook for my parents who are both on a sodium -restricted diet. Regarding the comment KFC honey: In stores here, you also need to check honey and maple syrup ingredients. Many are corn syrup with flavoring. On a side note: Many of us know Orange Guy is an a*s.
Wow! My friend works for a food processing plant. He just told me that any products that are made for other countries must have 60% less corn syrup and sugar than ours.
Load More Replies...I'm curious. In the UK, the ingredients list has to be ordered from most to least, so if your main ingredient is sugar, it has to be featured first, etc, while flavourings and trace amounts are at the end. Do they do that in America too?
Yes they do. But they have very different standards about ingredients - GMO products, HFCS, and a wide variety of drug residues in meat and dairy products are deemed okay in the US and banned in the UK. Same with a number of additives and colourings. This is what is worrying a lot of people about a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, in general terms our ingredients are more tightly controlled throughout the EU.
Load More Replies...If you compare the ingredients in a vanilla shake in US and EU McDonalds you will learn that the US one has 5 time the amount of sugar... No wonder majority of US citizens are morbidly overweight.
It's pretty c**p isn't it! Shame man. It's that little treat you give your self once a month which in the eu results in the equivalent of a once a month treat and in the US the equivalent of a five times a month treat. And if you don't choose junk food as a study area in your life you're none the wiser.
Load More Replies...Packet of "honey" from a US KFC. Honey was the 4th ingredient! Wouldn't it be less expensive to just.. have honey?
No, corn syrup is cheaper. The US subsides corn. It's why we ruin our engines with it and substitute it for cane sugar. We force feed our meat animals with it. The US grows the most corn in the world (by design), so we use it. As far as I am concerned, it's a garbage grade vegetable. It's hard to digest and can pass through the digestive tract, intact. We shouldn't consume or use it, which is why we subsidize it, which is why we have so much of it. See the pattern?
Load More Replies...If it can be done without adding all the extra chemicals, then why add them? Surely that's more expensive for the manufacturer? Actually, I once had an American friend tell me that she thought Fanta Orange in the UK tasted almost like natural orange. I've never had the American version but the fact that I find (UK) Fanta too sweet, made me think it must be vile in the States.
Shelf life. The EU has better food standards than the US and this is why. I have traveled all over the world and it saddens me that food overseas always tastes better than here in the US for common food stuffs. Don't get me wrong, you can get good food here, but you have to pay more for it or cook it yourself, which I regularly do. All my coworkers are always amazed by my lunches and how good they smell. Yeah, I make my own meals...
Load More Replies...Why is this surprising ? The US government has not given a f**k about its people for decades. (Probably since the 1950's). It's not like the US is known for its luxury or gormet standards anyway. Food there has always been dreadful as the size of the population demonstrates. Anyone seen the mobility scooters at Disneyland? Literally 1000's
damn pinko commies regulating the stuff we put into our bodies. What next, removing poo from water?!
Yes, but it can be just a bit worse or directly cancer killer. There're a lot of qualities and, if someday you use it, you'd like that it's the healthier as is possible.
Load More Replies...The Food Babe is dumber than a box of rocks. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics
The United States had the highest rate of obesity within the OECD grouping of large trading economies. Now we know why.
I'm with you on that. I agree with this article in principle, but food babe is just the worst.
Load More Replies...So if I get it the strawberries in the Quaker oat meal actually are dehydrated apples with artificial strawberry flavor?!
And most 100% fruit juices (for example: cranberry) are 80+% apple juice. We were going to buy acai berry juice. 90% apple, 5% acai, 5% grape.
Load More Replies...The power is in the hands of the purchaser. If you Americans don't like the toxic additives - don't buy the product, there will be alternatives, and the manufacturers will soon wake up to their profit reductions.
In the US they have no real alternative, or really expensive one so most people don't really have the choice actually....
Load More Replies...Just don't eat any of that stuff or make up your own versions at home with real ingredients. There. Problem solved.
Many Americans can't afford to do this. This crappy food is much, much, much cheaper than healthy, fresh food and it just isn't affordable for a large amount of people. And the healthcare industry just loves it. Sicker people mean more $$$!! More diabetes = more demand for insulin $$$$$$
Load More Replies...This could be why many American tourists find UK food bland. They're used to stronger tastes from different ingredients.
In-spite of your downvotes I agree, as an American. When you've spent your life eating salty processed food, you lose the taste for natural food. I try to eat as little processed food as possible and was amazed at the taste of food in the EU, when I started traveling for a living.
Load More Replies...Hi, Reuben, our Photoshopper team is already busy fixing it :)
Load More Replies...I live in USA and think maybe if all this artificial c**p was not in our food we wouldn't have such an obesity problem !
The significant differences between US and UK processed food ingredients are 1) sugar vs high fructose corn syrup, 2) "flavouring" vs specific synthetic flavorants, and 3) additional vitamin enrichment in US markets.
They missed the last message, but there wasnt a pic, so , it doesnt surprise me. In Europe is banned lots of american food because of the chemicals they use in their food. Question, why there has to be sweetening in everything?
I would argue that a lot of this has to do with shopping and food storage habits. Here in the states, people have a habit of buying an entire car load of food and storing more of it at home. In Britain and most European countries, people will buy less but more often and keep less on hand. So there's less need for preservatives because things aren't being shoved into the pantry and forgotten as often.
So the food babe's minions are here, downvoting everyone who cites her documented history of half-truths and pseudoscience. I'm sorry that this site, which constantly points out the garbage that anti-vaxxers try to pass off, is allowing this post to stay.
As soon as I saw these were from the "Food Babe" I stopped reading. She's known liar and manipulator. Don't trust anything she has to post to the internet!
Eh, either you work as a lobbyist, or you get your information from gawker, vox, and fox news. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics?t=1570196722858
Load More Replies...I can't believe the strawberries and cream one. It's not even real freeze dried strawberries but strawberry flavored apple pieces. Because money. Kinda sad actually.
I think y'all would be appalled if you check what being sent to Africa.....Nigeria to be precises. What he have here is NOT Kellogg's. I have no idea what it is but it's being pumped here by the truckload.
Yes,sadly Africa has been the dumping ground for lots of 2nd rate products for years and years.Stock-piles of out of date medicine,air-planes with at least 25 years service elsewhere,pesticides banned in Europe but good enough for Africa and has also become the final resting place for ships being chopped up as scrap,to mention just a few cases because the list of unwanted stuff being sent to Africa reads like an old fashioned telephone book
Load More Replies...Oh man I knew Americans were dumb, but not THAT dumb they don't even see what's in front of them. The main difference is in products with sugar. Sugar seemingly is banned in the US and they use high fructose corn syrup, then they have to use a butt load of other c**p to try mimic any sort of flavour. This is why American food tastes of nothing. How are they such fat bastards there's no taste in anything?!
I have worked for a few months in the US, and for many years with colleagues and customers from the US and I can guarantee you from my own experience that the average American is not dumb, at least not dumber than average people in Europe or elsewhere. And their food is not tasteless. You can have anything from expensive meals at fancy restaurants to cheap fast food and most of it tastes good. Finally, even though obesity seems to be more common in the US than in other countries (from what I’ve seen on the streets), calling them fat bastards is an inappropriate exaggeration.
Load More Replies...I just opened all the profiles of BPs who outright criticized the articles author, the Food Babe. Most of them had less than 10 votes. 1 had 400+, 1 had 600+, and only Phil Boswell had over 1,000 votes. It sure looks like most of those who severely discredit her came on BP just for that purpose. “Anony mouse” did it twice. I’m just saying, this makes your name calling and highly critical remarks about look her look very suspicious. Are you food lobbyists? If you are - get off BP.
I am Norwegian but live in Canada. Also disgusted by all the s..t that is allowed in NA foods. However, have also found that there are some ingredients added I Europe that they don’t have to list! So their food may not be a clean as it seems. I thought GMO food was banned in Europe , but no, some foods are allowed. Don’t know about Roundup? It makes me sick that this cancer causing weed killer is still allowed to be used on our foodplants , now so much it has crept into our water system and even organic food gets contaminated. I guess Monsanto got sick of being called the bad guy so now Bayer has bought it. I saw a whole page newspaper ad from Bayer saying Glyphosate (roundup) was safe . Well the World health organisation in Geneva disagrees! Who do you believe?
Currently finding people to bring lawsuits against Roundup manufacturer for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer in the USA. GMO producers needs to be banned and majorly fined out of existence.
Load More Replies...This has somehow turned into a bash on the USA...not everyone here thinks this artificial c**p is ok
I'm from USA our country has an obesity rate that is rediculous. maybe if we had better regulations on the junk they put in our food it wouldn't be so bad !!
We Americans wonder why our population is increasingly unhealthy and overweight. Who cares about choice when all the choices are full of synthetic, lab-created filler? They could be selling us antifreeze as a new mountain dew flavor and the "patriots" would scream "free market". Avoiding artificial junk shouldn't require reading a novel's worth of ingredients on product labels for every item and every trip to the store.
Amen. I am totally flabbergasted at how industrial lobbies (and, to be fair, most of the RP) have succeeded in convincing a whole population that regulation is an attack on freedom ! But when people already believe that regulating guns is communism, how could you ever have them accept regulating food ?
Load More Replies...Our food is ALL about population control. Have you researched the rise of cancer rates? Want to stay relatively healthy? Eat food that doesn’t have an ingredient list attached to it. Whole food.....like our grandparents ate. When you cannot pronounce and ingredient? That’s the number one reason to stick that item right back on the shelf!
this is why we campaigned against TTIP, and this is why we don't want to swap sensible EU safety laws for a bad trade deal with the US, where we will be forced to lower our standards
Great Britain has the National Health Service, which until recently -- when conservatives got hold of it -- provided 95% of health-dental-vision-psychiatric without charge to all citizens. Even with Tory tinkering, it is still worthwhile for government to be involved in regulating processed foods -- there are proven cancer-causing agents in American foods, but corporate shills have been injected into regulatory agencies and even c**p like GMOs are almost untouchable.
A ton of the US things have disgusting corn ingredients..like high fructose corn syrup, since the government subsidizes corn so much. It needs to stop for the sake of health and the economy.
The last-listed US french fry ingredient, dimethylpolysiloxane is "a silicon-based polymer used as a lubricant and conditioning agent. It functions as an anti-foaming agent, skin conditioning agent, occlusive and skin protectant. It is found in many cosmetic and hygiene products like nail polish, conditioners, make-up, contact lens solutions, sunscreens, deodorants, and shampoo. Examples of products that contain dimethicone include Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion and Johnson's Baby Cream."
Firstly. We have Mac and cheese and that's what we call it. I've never seen cheesy pasta before. Second ,people in the UK generally don't have such a sweet tooth as America. Neither is bad just different. On the whole I don't like the food in America and obviously Americans don't like English food. That's fine, why we all need to be the same is beyond me.
I am still scratching my head over the guy who believes not eating meat has ANYTHING to do with the above article! Nothing in there even touches on meat and as a farm raised gal, the MAIN dish in ANY meal starts with REAL MEAT, Be it beef, pork, poultry, venison or other "wild" meat! From there, you add. As for the additives, I don't eat most cereals save for rolled oatmeal and that's not the instant or flavored varieties. I make my own condiments and I DO read labels. I have too many chemical allergies not to!
I would not trust that Food babe, she knows nothing about chemistry and science... https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/food-babe-misinformation-on-travel/
America is finally waking up to things like hydrogenated oils but clearly we have a long way to go. They do it because it's cheaper and they can get away with it here.
I have checked some of these in the uk and they are not always comparing the same products, e.g. the original porridge doesn’t have raspberries. However, the volume of food dyes used in America is shocking. Sunset yellow and brilliant blue are both azo dyes that can cause hyperactivity and (in my case) Anaphylaxis. My honeymoon nearly killed me when I ate some “cheesy” crisps at the airport.
While the UK porridge box shown doesn't mention raspberries or strawberries, but they are there in the ingredient listing, so it's a fair comparison.
Load More Replies...I don't care what anybody says, high fructose corn syrup is not an acceptable substitute for sugar. I quit drinking pop because of that. Now I make pop myself, with real sugar in it.
The Fraud Broad is a charlatan, profiteer, and a Queen among the Karens. She has been debunked by rational writers all the hell over the internet. ~~ https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Food_Babe ~~ https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics ~~ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vani-hari-a-k-a-the-food-babe-the-jenny-mccarthy-of-food/ ~~ Etc.
As a brit (who recently moved away to colombia oof) jm very proud
Pretty simple s**t I learned years ago. If you shop for food in the usa always do your best to find the label that says that the food is real food or at least quality food. Always look for Made in any place that is NOT usa or Imported from _____
Please do not give further attention to food babe. She is a complete hack. Go visit scibabe's website instead.
Holy s**t, why is there so much corn syrup in the ketchup!? Also, it did really bother me that the oatmeal was two different flavours because that feels like missing the point, or that it's going to cause readers to miss the point.
It surprised me too. Heinz is - according to the label - one of the few ketchup brands in the EU that is actually made from tomatoes, without the addition of corn or potatoe fillers.
Load More Replies...Just so you can check out the "Food Babe": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vani_Hari "Vani Deva Hari , who blogs as the Food Babe, is an American author, activist, pseudoscientist, and affiliate marketer who criticizes the food industry.…Hari's ideas on food safety have been criticized by scientists as pseudoscience and chemophobia, and others have drawn attention to her financial interest through promotion and marketing of natural foods."
Great comparison, actually nothing new, makes me wonder if it was worth giving foodbabe publicity. Dangerous quack
Isn't she the idiot that proclaimed she didn't eat anything with chemicals ins it?
Load More Replies...All of the comparisons given are junk food. American grocery stores also carry carrots, potatoes, wheat flour, etc. Those that prefer junk food can eat that if they wish. Most Americans do care about what they eat, but just like Brits A high percentage are not as well educated about food as they should be. Now I've had spotted d**k before. My doctor gave me an antibiotic and it went away.
It is really sad that Americans have to call Britain either Communist or Socialist to excuse the way they lie to themselves
That is typical American, theirs look better so they must be cheating, not that America allows all sorts of crap in it's food.
crazy how some of the Americans are commenting that they have more choice and dont live in a communist country. it's banned for a reason, its been proven to cause cancer etc. the regulations are the same in all EU states.
While visiting UK I noticed everything (junk / snacks ) tasted different. I began to not eat junk/snacks (too busy touring anyway), and I began to think about how I ate in the US. I got used to eating a decent meal...and not grazing over junk all day. The soda taste different too... much less sugar. I drink much less of it now. One little vacation influenced my diet in major ways.
FACT. EU regulations stipulate that ALL ingredients are listed. FACT. EU food standards are higher/ stricter than anywhere else in the world. FACT. UK must brace itself after brexit when we strike new trade deal with US, for plane loads of inedible shite to hit the shelves. God only knows what ingredients are in US pet food, if this is the c**p made for human consumption.
Sometimes labels between different countries are misleading. Compare Czech republic (I will not say Czechia) and Germany. On meat products here we have to write down "% of meat", "% of fat", "% of skin", etc., in Germany they just use "% of schweinefleisch". They use the fat too, because in some products it just belongs. They use the skin too because it is needed for the structure. But on the label of the salami made in Germany it says 95% meat, on (the same) Czech product it would be 55% meat (and 30% fat and 10% skin) (the rest is mostly water, some spices and salt). (Still we have some magicians who can produce sausage with 5% skins and who knows what made mostly from soy, beans, bread crumbs hold together by dark magic and chemicals with names longer that silk road. It is nearly vegan friendly product.)
There is absolutely NOTHING that The Food Babe says that can be trusted.
the problem might originate from the point that American taste has changed gradually during years of course BY these industries and they cannot risk to go back to make healthier product unless they loose some share of they market. For example in artificial colors, if they use natural ones that are usually paled, probably there would be some unsatisfied customers that move the rival products with stronger (artificial) colors.
Canola oil is another name for rape seed oil. According to the Australian Macular Degeneration Foundation, Canola is detrimental to the health of the macula in the retina of the eye.
Tastes like bad fish oil too, and smells worse when cooking.
Load More Replies...Did anyone notice that the oatmeal was comparing two clearly different products? The UK oatmeal isn't even strawberry flavour but Vani put strawberries on the ingredients list anyway. No one saw that?
When "this woman" is the stupid b***h known as Food Babe, you know you're in for a ride on a wave of b******t.
I'm in Canada, and I'm sure we're similar to the USA. It's so disgusting
America's are so needy of everything but that is so impressive of all the time she had to write all the ingredients
Lol, I don't know htf to post a picture on here, can someone please tell me how to do it! I've managed to make the picture into a sticker on my phone keyboard ffs, just can't get it on here! Please help me........
I have lived for decades in both the UK and the US. I remember having a real issue with the way all American food tasted, but then I got used to it. When I returned to the UK after many years, everything tasted kind of bland. It was really weird. Then my taste buds healed and I started enjoying more natural food again, and British food tastes really fresh and lovely. But when I went back to the US again, I was hyper aware that everything was saturated with salt and sugar, and often fat. Like, the bread seriously tasted more like cake than bread, because it had so much sugar in it. Your palate gets used to things being a certain way and that's really why things taste bad or good to us. It's familiarity, and not necessarily a sign that what we're eating is good for us.
What's very sad is that a bunch of the additives (especially the red and yellow colors) have been banned throughout Europe for a very long time, because they were clearly proven to cause a number of issues, including cancer and behavioral issues in children, among other things. The FDA knows all this, but is quite happy to continue to approve this c**p for the American public, because they are in the pockets of the big food companies, who don't care at all about the health of their consumers, because their only focus is profit, profit, profit.
Stop eating c**p, please. Your body will thank you for it. The "food" listed here is mostly junk, ok for rare treats, but harmful if eaten on a regular basis.
Food Babe is neither a nutritionist nor a food scientist. What she does is use pseudoscience to spread fear and misinformation.
This is a great favor to people who care about what they put in their mouths. The American consumer has been poisoned for many decades by the American food producer who is interested only in shelf life and artificial flavoring. The proof is on the label, and later on in the state of your health...disbelief in this at your own risk.
how many people are really reading all the poisonous ingredients, if yes obesity will not be a problem in the US
Seems like a lot of added sugars for no reason over here. Very bad for us Diabetics. Smh.
For most of you saying that the US version of a processed food is worse, you really need to look at the ingredients, and realize that the FDA requires all ingredients to be listed unless it is something like natural flavors, which might be a trade secret. You might also mistake nutritional additives because they can't just call them vitamins and nutrients. For instance, potassium chloride is used to increase the potassium delivery from a certain meal. It is also used in hospitals as an IV method to provide potassium to patients with deficiency. However, we do allow certain unsafe food additives as in the case of Mountain Dew, which has a fire retardant in it.
There is not actually that much differences. The UK original oatmeal was compared to a fruit flavored one. The UK Mountain Dew left out the orange juice and especially the Frosted Flakes. All of the additives listed were vitamins, identical except the US list named the form not just the name of the vitamin. If you don't want additives, boil your own rolled oats and you can add your own sugar, salt and milk.
I am Australian and I know it kinda doesn't include me but I have compared Australian and American foods....exactly the same product and it is shockingly different in taste
Yeah no. If it comes from the Foodbabe it's just automatically trash and not worth reading. She's scientifically illiterate and really stupid. Just look at some of her quotes.
Regardless, we should be eating whole natural foods. Anything thats been processed is a gimmick to scam money out of the lazy cook.
I gawp at the UK list. My countries would be half of the UK list. Although even for McDonalds everything is made in my country. And we have incredibly strict laws on food. (Sweden) for the curious.
That goes for Denmark too.McDonalds had to cut 35% of the fat content in their Burgers(if I am not mistaken) before being allowed to establish in Dk
Load More Replies...Consumers in the US have many choices. Not just the ones that are shown. Heinz Ketchup for example, offers a product called Simply Heinz that has no HFCS. The price is comparable to the regular bottle. Ingredients: tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, cane sugar, salt, onion powder, spice, natural flavoring.
Having tried a few US/UK products of the same name, the main difference for me was that the US versions were a lot sweeter and often had a syrupy feel on the mouth - probably why the US mountain dew has a little vegetable oil and the UK version does not. Both sets of food pale in comparison to Mediterranean and middle eastern food though, so its like comparing mush and slightly sweeter mush.
The Food Babe is no one to listen to. She loves junk science, makes ridiculous claims (passengers getting on to planes are sprayed with pesticides), and so on. She’s full of c**p. https://gawker.com/the-food-babe-blogger-is-full-of-s**t-1694902226
In the UK, food industry is bound by law (strict European food regulations) to list all ingredients and some European countries make it mandatory to label fat, sugar and caloric content green, orange, red. This is scary, non the less
Food labeling laws are rather different in the US. Food Babe is not a scientist. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/08/food-labeling-us-fda-eu-health-food-safety
Rapeseed (UK) and Canola (US) are the same oil. Stop being stupid.
American junk food and food chains has destroyed so much. You can make better burgers than McDonalds, You can make better coffee than Starbucks. Think local – that original Café round the corner in Stockholm with good "Fika" is so much better. If I go to Paris, I certainly don't want to eat american junkfood. Oh, but it's all about the money.
Wow I can't believe all the hate comments on here about Americans. Which is funny because most of "American" ancestors came from Britain. We are not "stupid" because of our food. The only people that are "stupid" is the government who PURPOSELY make un healthy food cheaper so that is what is bought more. For example an average hamburger is a couple dollars where as a healthy salad is over 7 dollars. So if you're on a fixed budget, you pay for the food you can afford. That doesn't make us unintelligent it makes us stuck.
Although there is a real problem in areas without grocery stores, most Americans do have access to fresh food that is inexpensive, purchasing raw and cooking it yourself creates healthier food at a lower cost-per-serving than anything you get at a fast food place.
Load More Replies...If you want to eat healthy mac n cheese, just get a hand of mac and mix it with some healthy cheese and stop complaining that 1 dollar boxed food is bad for you.
Or do yourself your sandwitch. This isn't haute cuisine, everybody knows how to do it and it's faster that waiting for it and pay in a mac thing.
Load More Replies...Writer Jonas - you consider "hydrogenated soybean oil" NATURAL?? Try crushing soybeans and tell me how much oil comes out. Canola oil is " natural?" Have you ever seen a vegetable called canola? Do you eat rapeseed? Well sir, you should do some research and correct your article.
Cottonseed oil is used entirely too often in the US, too. One of the most repugnant tastes.
Load More Replies...All this hubbub about the differences, yet look at the overall health of Americans vs English. Americans have a longer lifespan in average than Europeans, Are basically tied in numbers of obesity among teens and young adults. Have the approximate same % of those who eat out especially at fast food joints. And foods on average have a longer shelf life in the United States and equal costs.
Seriously BP? Thanks for the false controversy... In other news: 1+1= one plus one Glad we had this talk.
But "this woman" in the title is the food babe, who is a complete crackpot/liar/alarmist. Look closely at the Frosted Flakes - all I see is that the US version has more added vitamins ( that all have longer, scarier names). I don't love that she's getting further attention with her pseudoscience.
As someone who travels to the UK frequently I don't find flavours to be any different except with cereals which in the UK are horribly sweet, even non sweet ones. Personally I'm not bothered by artificial additives.
I'm skeptical about this post in general. I mean, I do believe it's true, but those ignorant comments are hand-picked to push a narrative. Many Americans are aware of the garbage in our food and are working hard to push change. Unfortunately, money men have a bigger voice here.
Well, USA men and women could fight for their rights and vote properly. We are doing it in the other countries. It's not a God gift.
Load More Replies...Food in Britain sucks and they have no choice because of communism!!!! .... Jesus Christ you lot are thick! No wonder the rest of the world hates you!!!!!!
Ah... Foodbabe... Wasn't she controversial some time ago? A self declared dietician, right? Everytime I see a Facebook post of her on one of my friends walls I can only roll my eyes and shake my head in disbelief... Regardless the absolute garbage some companies dare to put on the market, European rules might be a bit different regarding food labels and ingredient lists. For the Heinz ketchup for exemple, I don's see much of a difference, be it more a case of naming a certain ingredient a certain way (except for the abundance of high fructose corn syrup in everything).
UK food tastes like food, not like chemicals supposed to give a taste of food...
Load More Replies...I call BS. Think of it logically. Do you really believe a company would make 20 different kinds of a single product? Mass production leads to economies of scale which leads to cheaper production cost/batch costing and results in higher profits. Additionally, most companies promote constancy so if you travel and miss your favorite food, you can go buy it and it will taste the same. That builds brand loyalty.
Except everything shown is factual. You can look it up yourself. Even inside the US there are sometimes ingredient differences between the same product manufactured at different locations across the country, it's not unusual at all.
Load More Replies...EVERITHING has to be declared in European Union, even traces. And, also, it must be everything true, including where are the ingredients from. In US you can sell Valencia's oranges juice when it isn't true, for example, as in Eurpe it's forbidden, fined and the company closed. Also, ingredients must be in order, from more to less quantity, some of them must include the percentage. And labels like "light", "healthy" or even "yogurt" are only allowed in they follow a lo of norms, not only ingredients but about production, etc. A lot of US ingredients are forbidden. There are the same rules in all countrien from EU, including southern countries. Nutella has different ingredients regarding to each country taste, more or less ratio of chocolate, more or less liquid, etc. For exanple, in the south, it's expected to be easily spread on bread, but not in Germany. In general, the German one is better in Germany and the Portuguese one in Portugal, for example. Only US nutella is far more shittie
Load More Replies...No added sugar doesn’t mean the same as no sugar. Sugar naturally occurs in many foods and still needs to be listed in the nutritional information.
Load More Replies...It's just the opposite. Label laws are much harder in European Union, as well as laws concenning which ingredients are allowed to be used.
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