10 Foods Available in the US that are Banned Elsewhere

Image Credit: Flickr / waitscmTrue Activist – by Amanda Froelich

As complementary and holistic healing modalities rise in popularity, consumers are becoming more vigilant about what they consume. This means that the $37 billion processed food industry is finally dealing with scrutiny from the FDA and concerned citizens regarding the ingredients and sourcing of many food items.

With this increase of awareness, Americans are realizing that not only are the types of foods consumed imperative in supporting or degenerating health, but the source is just important as well. And while measures have been adopted in other countries to ensure citizens are protected from toxic chemicals and low quality products, the United States is one of the only nations that has yet to increase it’s food standards. 

To increase awareness and education, a list of foods available in the United States, but illegal elsewhere, follow:

  1. Genetically Engineered Papaya

    The United States sources most of its papaya from Hawaii. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the tropical fruit imported from this state is genetically engineered (GE) to be ringspot virus-resistant.

    Research shows that animals fed GE foods, such as soy and corn, suffer intestinal damage, multiple-organ damage, massive tumors, birth defects, premature death, and/or nearly complete sterility by the third generation.

    Long-term research measuring the danger to humans is still unknown.

    Where it’s banned: The European Union

  2. Ractopine – Tainted Meat

    It is a common practice to pump the asthma drug ractopine into about 45 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys before slaughter. And up to 20 percent of this drug is still present in meat when it is bought.

    Since 1998, more than 1,700 pork consumers have been “poisoned” in this way. Because of the threat ractopine presents, it has been banned in over 160 countries! In fact, Russia issued a ban on US meat imports, effective February 11, 2013, until it is certified ractopine-free.

    The dangerous drug is linked to reduced reproductive function, increased mastitis, and increased death in animals. In humans, it damages the cardiovascular system and may even cause hyperactivity, chromosomal abnormalities, and behavioral changes. What’s more, US meats are not even currently tested for ractopine.

    Where it’s banned: 160 countries across Europe, mainland China, and Taiwan.

  3. Farm-Raised Salmon

    When it comes to health, wild-caught salmon is often recommended, and for good reason. Farm raised fish are usually fed an unnatural diet of genetically engineered grains, antibiotics, and chemicals unsafe for humans. To mask the resulting graying flesh, they are given toxic and potentially sight-damaging synthetic astaxanthin.

    The difference between wild-caught and farm-raised (sold in most restaurants) is that wild sockeye gets its’ red color from natural astaxanthin and carotenoids. To differentiate which fish you’re being served, look at the fat. Thin strips of fat mean the fish is ‘lean’ and wild-caught, while pale pink cuts with wide fat marks mean the salmon was farm raised.

    It is recommended to avoid ‘Atlantic Salmon’, and instead look for ‘Alaskan’ or ‘Sockeye’ if you choose to consume fish. These two types are illegal to farm and have very high natural astaxanthin concentrations.

    Where it’s banned: Australia and New Zealand

  4. Flame Retardant Drinks

    Did you know that many soft drinks in the United States contain the synthetic chemical brominated vegetable oil (BVO)? Mountain Dew and other drinks are just a few that contain this patented flame retardant.

    In humans, BVO from fizzy drinks accumulates in human tissue and in breast milk. And in animal studies, BVO accumulation has been shown to cause reproductive and behavioral problems.

    Bromine alters the central nervous and endocrine systems and promotes iodine deficiency, causing skin rashes, acne, loss of appetite, fatigue, and cardiac arrhythmias.

    Featured in MSN, “The FDA has flip-flopped on BVO’s safety, originally classifying it as ‘generally recognized as safe,” but reversing that call, now defining it as an ‘interim food additive,’ a category reserved for possibly questionable substances used in food.”

    Where it’s banned: Europe and Japan

  5. Processed Foods and Artificial Dyes

    In most processed foods, there is an arsenal of artificial colorings and flavorings added to enhance flavor and appeal. In fact, more than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings, and colors are added to US foods, many of which are banned in other countries.

    Common additives such as Yellow #5, Blue #2, or Red #40 have been linked with behavioral problems, Cancer, birth defects, and many other health issues in animals. Yellow #6 and Red #40 are specifically recognized as causing an allergy-like hypersensitivity reaction in children and migraines in adults.

    Using dyes and toxic chemicals for food appeal is not only harmful, but now completely unnecessary. In countries where food colorings are banned, companies like Kraft employ natural colorants like paprika, turmeric, and beetroot.

    Where it’s banned: Norway and Austria. Britain advised companies against using food dyes by the end of 2009. The European Union requires a warning notice on most foods containing dyes.

  6. Arsenic-Laced Chicken

    Because aresenic-laced drugs allow animals to grow faster and meats products to look pinker and “fresher”, they are approved in US produced animal feed. The FDA says arsenic-based drugs are safe because they contain organic arsenic, but organic can easily turn into inorganic arsenic, run through contaminated manure, and leach into drinking water.

    It is important to note that the European Union has never approved using arsenic in animal feed; US environmental groups have sued the FDA to remove them.

    Where it’s banned: The European Union

  7. Bread with Potassium Bromate

    Cheaply produced breads (as well as hamburger and hotdog buns) with refined, white flour commonly include potassium bromate. Food ‘enriched’ with this ingredient (which is also known as bromide) is linked to kidney and nervous system damage, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and cancer.

    Commercial baking companies may claim it renders dough more tolerable to bread hooks, but natural brands that source wholesome ingredients use only unbromated flour without experiencing ‘structural problems’.

    Where it’s banned: Canada, China, and the EU

  8. Preservatives BHT and BHA

    BHA (butylated hydroxanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxtoluene) are common preservatives in foods like cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter spreads, meat, and beer. According to the National Toxicology Program’s 2011 Report on Carcinogens, BHA may trigger allergic reactions and hyperactivity, and is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

    Where it’s banned: Both are banned in parts of the European Union and Japan; the UK does not allow BHA in infant food.

  9. Olestra/Olean

    Created by Procter and Gamble, Olestra, or Olean, is a calorie and carbohydrate-free fat substitute in fat-free snacks like chips and french fries. Three years ago TIME magazine named it one of the 50 worst inventions ever.

    And a study from Purdue University concluded that rats fed potato chips with Olean ended up gaining weight. Several reports of adverse intestinal reactions to the fake fat include diarrhea, cramps, and leaky bowel syndrome.

    Because it interferes with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K, the FDA requires these vitamins to be added to any product that is made with Olestra or Olean.

    Where it’s banned: The UK and Canada

  10. Milk and Dairy Products made with rBGH

    Large-scale dairy factories are not only unethical, they also utilize hormones and toxic chemicals detrimental to human health. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a synthetic version of natural bovine hormone, is injected to cows to increase milk production. It was developed by Monsanto from genetically engineered E.coli bacteria, marketed as “Polisac”.

    But rBGH is banned in 30 other countries. Why? It has been shown to convert normal tissue cells into cancerous ones, increasing colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer risks. Among other diseases, injected cows suffer exorbitant rates of mastitis, contaminating milk with pus and antibiotics.

    Activists have been trying to expose the dangers of rBGH for over a decade. In 1997, two Fox-affiliate investigative journalists, Jane Akyre and Steve Wilson, tried to share the harmful effects of the hormone, but lawyers for Monsanto shut down their story, promising ‘dire consequences’ if it ever aired.

    Other nations are more aware of the dangers it poses, however. In 1999, the United Nations Safety Agency ruled unanimously not to endorse rBGH milk, resulting in an international ban on US milk.

    Support to change the acceptance of rBGH is slowly gaining momentum in the states, thankfully. The Cancer Prevention Coalition (trying for years to affect a dairy industry ban of rBGH) resubmitted a petition to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg in January 2010. But the FDA still refuses to change its false position that rBGH-treated milk is no different than milk from untreated cows.

    Where it’s banned: Austrailia, New Zealand, Israel, EU, and Canada

Take control of your health. Foods may be still available for consumption in the states, but if you are vigilant of what chemicals, additives, and food sources should be avoided, those products can be easily omitted.

For optimal health, avoid foods that contain harmful ingredients, exclude processed foods, and include as many wholesome plant foods as possible. Sticking with organic, fresh-raised, and natural food products will ensure toxic ingredients banned elsewhere will remain outside of your home and clear of your body.

Source:

MSN

http://www.trueactivist.com/10-foods-available-in-the-us-that-are-banned-elsewhere/

58 thoughts on “10 Foods Available in the US that are Banned Elsewhere”

  1. Good post Paul. Bad and contaminated foods are – I think – a big reason people get sick. People eat a lot of nasty crap that they do not even realize that they are eating.

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      1. ya know what Paul – and I know us older people here LOL know what I`m talking about – people have forgotten what real food even tates like and a lot of younger people have never even had decent food to even know the difference. Damned sad isn`t it. Probobly partly why people are always getting sick now days. 🙁

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  2. People do eat a lot of crap they should not. My issue is Organic is so expensive. I try my best to buy Organic food, we have a local Organic farmer, she charges $20.00 for a whole chicken, I just cannot afford that. Her ground beef is $10.00 a pound, her eggs are $6.00 a dozen. I would not be able to pay my mortgage if I bought all of my food from her!

    I have found organic food at the box stores, they are more reasonable, and they are building a Whole Foods as I type. But I have heard a friend of mine call it “Whole Paycheck”. So I am guessing they are expensive. We also have a local store owner that has an entire section of Organics and his prices are okay, and I buy there when I can get there.

    We just have to do the best we can and eat more nutrient dense food. The more nutrient dense the food is, then the less you will eat, you are feeding your body Live food, which is what it needs, since it is alive! If you eat the processed crap (I call dead food), You will eat more because you are getting no nutrients that your body needs.

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  3. hey Missy you are right about organic being expensive. having the same experience up here. didn’t use to matter when i was employed but now it REALLY matters. however if at all possible i stay with live foods. hyvee discount store sells it and also aldi’s (spelling) in this area. of course farmers are handy out here, but not in the dead of winter. had a doctor tell me years age that live food is the best health insurance plan to have. I have to agree with him. I am 69 and take no pharmaceuticals. have eaten farm raised/ and organic food for over 20 years now.

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    1. Paul and @ Missy . I sugest that you guys start growing your own sprouts. That is what they call real living food as they are still a living plant when consumed. When you buy any vegetable at the store or farmers market it is you might say dead food as the plant starts dropping mutrition right away after it has been harvested. Sprouts are easy to grow. Alfalfa ,wheat and radish sprouts are one of my favorite combinations. Excellent on sandwitches too – can`t be beat and cannot beat the flavor, nutrition or cost.

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        1. It is real easy Paul. I used to grow my own sprouts on used clean storm windows. I would not waste my money on those sprouting kids ya may see advertised. Just do not let them dry out and keep them moist and not wet and you will have a awesome salad in less than 4 or five days no problem. grow enough so you can maybe store them in a cool place like your fridge. I would spray my sprouts with a simple hand sprayer 2 or 3 times a day or as needed so they do not dry out,ya see all you are doing is germinateing the seeds and allowing them to grow on glass untill ready for use. Just do not use any fertilizer or chemicals and make sure you glass is clean before you use it to grow your sprouts on 🙂 Also get good quality sprouting seed for sprouting purposes 🙂 We could talk about this sometime as perppers really should – IMOHO – should learn at least the basics of thing like this. Yea that Joe From The Carolinas is awesome – ya know the guy Henry turned us all on to a week or so ago. He is a real good one to follow to be sure. 🙂

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      2. I have seeds for sprouting and I have thought about this, my issue is where to put them. I have an extreme galley kitchen that is narrow.

        My husband is getting a green house put up in the backyard here shortly. I wanted sprouts and I want to be able to grow year round and I figure it will help with the chem trail spray somewhat staying off of the food.

        Thank you diggerdan!

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        1. You are welcome Missy. see my reply to Paul @ 8:40 above. best way I have found to grow sprouts. Yes once pople try sprouts they will never go back to lettuce, radish, etc. 😆 😎

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          1. I saw your comment to Paul, so grow them on glass. I never thought of that. I think we are going to put up our greenhouse this weekend. I did not want to spend the money right now, but it will actually save money in the long run. I will have to get some glass panels, or old windows. I just wish I had a bigger yard! I could have a monster of a green house, but I don’t so we will have to make a small one. But I figure better than nothing!

            Thank you for all of the info, anytime you want to give knowledge I will listen, knowledge is power!!

          2. What I did Missy was I went to places that were being demolished and I asked for the pane windows as in sliding glass doors type of glass and they were more than happy to give them to me for the takeing. Sliding glass doors are double paned so I would get two panes of glass for one sliding door and I would have mor sprout than I could use. I sprayed the glass panes with my hand sprayer and then once the glass was evenly moist wet I would evenly spread my seeds for sprouting on the moistened glass – Ya see , you got to moisten the glass so the seeds will stay on the glas 😆 if you know what I`m sayin LOL, and then spray the seeds lightly so they do not dry out. It is real easy. You could just use a glass plate or bakeing dish to get a smaller scale idea of what I`m talking about and to get the hang ot it. That way you could also get a ideas as to how often to spray your sprouts 😆 Just some cheap, easy , and simple tips there guys. Enjoy 😉

          3. Well thank you sir! That is a good idea, I will use my glass pyrex baking dishes to get the hang of it! Shoot, matter of fact, I have room for that on my counter, at lunch I will start some seeds!

            Thank you!!:)

          4. 😆 😎 alfalfa and radish have about the same germination rates and go good together on the same plate if they are fresh seeds. things like wheat sprouts take a little longer, wheat sprouts are more sweeter but they all go good when they are ready to use. you will have to experiment on germination rates for different sprouts like say bean sprout for chinese ya know – the combinations are literaly endless guys and never boreing to be honest – at least for me – speaking for myself anyway 😆

          5. I just started some alfalfa sprouts and another packet that was for sprouts called a sandwich mix, different kinds of seeds. So wish me luck we will see how this turns out!

          6. just keep them moist and not overly wet. It is too easy 😉 P.S. OK now Missy, now ya got me starting some of my alfalfa sprouts that I got from ameriherb last year 😉

          1. alright now bulldog! You will be building it this weekend! Chicken Rice and Gravy? I thought you were going to pick out a recipe from my old hillbilly cookbooks so we could try some mountain food?

    2. I wish that Doctors would still tell their patients to eat live food. But they have been bought out by big pharma. Which is so sad.

      My grandfather raised cattle and rice. We would get 1/2 a calf each year when I was growing up. I remember it tasting so much better than this junk we buy in the grocery store.

      We bought a 1/4 calf from a grass fed farmer here, but the cuts I got were not my favorite. There a lot of soup bones, and some of the roasts are so tiny. It was not cheap either. So I figure we will not be eating a lot of meat once this meat is gone!

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  4. I have gone back and forth on the matter of whether or not to eat meat. Whether humans are designed to eat meat, or need meat, etc. I guess I don’t know the answer to that for everyone, but one thing I have figured out is that I don’t really need to eat it, or all that much of it. I have found, in switching to a pretty much vegan, organic, live and unprocessed foods diet with various helpful herbs, that my body has (ahem) cleaned itself out, so it is no longer gunked up and I absorb my nutrients a lot more efficiently and therefore I have more energy and good health with much less food.

    That is just to say, yes organic is expensive, but since I have surprisingly been eating less food than I expected, I have been able to afford to pay more for the organic, and I have not broken my budget. It is a more efficient way to eat (if our bodies are healthy, we make more use of nutrients and need less food).

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    1. Exactly!! I agree with the meat thing, I have been back and forth on the subject. I cannot eat muscle meat, it has to be ground for me, the muscle meat tears my system up. I like meat, but I also like vegetables and when raw or barely cooked they are delicious!

      You are so right on the eat less when you eat right. I am not perfect, I do eat the occasional bad for me food, well more than occasional! I feel it is a struggle with the way our food system is now, it just takes research, good people like diggerdan, Paul, Joe from the Carolinas and others to share their knowledge so we may learn from them, and then we can pass that info on to others!

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    2. EE, look at a meat eaters teeth and then look at a plant eaters teeth and you will get your answere. A cat is a meat eater – never eats plant material – and has sharp pointed teeth, then look at a dogs teeth and the dog has some sharp pointed teeth but also some flat teeth for crushing plant material and bones and the dog also has cutting teeth also for cutting things like grasses. People have the flat crushing teeth and the front cutting teeth and the two caniner teeth lol. I think people eat meat because it is a easy source of protein ya know, but you can get just as good – if not better protein – from things like beans. 🙂 😉 . Just though I would throw that observation in. People eat meat but I do not think we realy need to. P.S. YOU WILL NEVER SEE A FAT OR OVER WEIGHT VEGETARIAN, AND THE VEGETARIANS I HAVE KNOWN NEVER GET SICK WHEN EVERY ONE AROUND THEM ARE REALY SICK. Just sayin` ya know 😎

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      1. Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking too, Digger. Since I have been eating this way, I’m surrounded by a sea of sick and suffering people, and I just don’t get sick or fear getting sick. I wasn’t always this healthy, which I think is such a funny thing with how Obamacare keeps referring to the “young and healthy” and the “old and sick” and I’m “old and healthy.” So yep, definitely getting older, you can get wiser and healthier. 😉 But I do really wonder sometimes at how it seems to work, that we don’t always put two and two together — it makes such basic sense that “we are what we eat” is not just an expression. It’s the truth. But I’m not deprived — I love my sprouts and apple-a-day. 🙂

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  5. Hey you guys. i still love good meat. grew up on it on the farm. guess im hopeless on the vegan thing. Have read that some enzymes are not consumed when you go all veggie. not sure if that is true or not. That said. I am 69 and am relatively health for my age, dont take any pharmaceuticals, just vitamines and herbs (not too educated on the herbs but Digger is working on me:-)). if i dont have meat i loose energy and feel pretty rough, and am hungry within an hour or so. of course everyone is different dont ya know. 🙂

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      2. Thanks you guys, you just threw my cancer free diet into the toilet. Eating like a rabbit was getting old anyway.

        All bulldog had to do was start talking about gumbo a couple weeks ago, and now the leg quarters with sauce. Jesuuuus……..

        and then I read this

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2536610/Slim-mother-four-devours-72oz-steak-3-MINUTES-smash-world-record-room-fries-Slim-mother-four-smashes-world-record-eating-72oz-steak.html

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        3. Mark,
          When I was driving big rigs, we were on a run to Oklahoma. We stopped at that place in Texas that claims if you can eat the 72 oz CHICKEN FRIED STEAK and texas toast, fried okra and mashed potatoes in a hour it is free. One of the guys driving one of the trucks actually accomplished it.

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    2. I have read before that different types of blood types should have different diets. I don’t know how true that is, but for example I am Blood Type A, and I should be a vegetarian, and I think Blood Type O can eat meat. There are books on this and a lot of info on the internet.

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        1. Not you dinky, just me. But then again I love chicken and eggs. I have given up seafood because of the gulf oil spill and fukushima, so I am thinking beef is next but for me only!!:)

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          1. Paul,
            Missy may say she is gonna go vegan, but If I throw some leg quarters on the grill and cover them with Jack Millers BBQ sauce and butter, she will change her mind. I promise.

          4. duh. didn’t know that. so do you have a date? cook her some of that stuff. I dare ya 🙂

      2. Hey Missy that’s GREAT NEWS on the type o blood. that’s what I am. COOL!!
        once o told a vegetarian that i loved animals too. I love steak, bacon, sausage, veil, chicken, dear, and that they are wonderfull.
        she kind of grinned, and took it in stride, as she knows i have a sarcastic sense of humor. hah

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    3. Hey Paul, I`ll get ahold of ya sometime tonight if possible, Been real busy with a lot goin` on ya know. Talk to ya tonite. 😉

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      1. hey Digger that’s cool. not sure if we will be around but will talk check when i can. hope you got some rest overnight 🙂

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  6. Wow … don’t know what I could add to this conversation … it’s perfect. I’m blood type “A” too Missy … A+

    Thanks for all the tips on sprouting Digger, and for the meat eaters … you’re making my mouth water! 😀

    I’ll be 64 as of the 19th of January and take zero Pharms, so I guess I’m in good company. 😉
    . . .

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    1. Any time any of yall find yourself in South Louisiana, get in touch with us. We grill good chow all the time. BYOB.

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      1. Thanks for the invite. I’ll keep that in mind Bulldog.

        Do you and Missy know Kindra Arnesen? I was following her back in 2009, but she’s kinda backed off from her speaking out on the BP Oil spill from what I can tell.

        http://youtu.be/4At6Yyt3b4s
        . . .

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        1. No, we have never heard of her. I will check her out. What is so horrid down here all of the restaurants still advertise Gulf seafood. I am a Cajun, seafood is a big part of our life down here, but come on people open your eyes. When I tell people I quit eating seafood and why, their response is who cares we all die one day. What is even more sick, my brother in law works for BP, he is one of their engineers, and it was his decision to use core exit 9. Because of this my sister and I no longer speak. I called her one night, we got in a heated debate, and just to make it short, they sold their soul for money.

          Wow I just watched the video from kindra. Powerful stuff. I wish I had known about her before, I would of contacted her. Actually after I do some more research, I will contact her. Great lady!!

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  7. I might be stepping in some deep water here but has anyone ever heard of “eat right for your type”? My wife brought this book home one day and my response was oh crap not another diet book. However after weeks of listening to her harp about how I NEED to try this I caved to her DEMANDS(I have to live there you know). Well I tried it for three months and I actually felt better. I really hated the idea that I had to admit that she was right this time but she was. It is based on your blood type and for those of you that are “O” type then your not going to be happy because if your like me then most everything you like you can’t have. I had joint problems and such that cleared up in that three months.I still try to stick to it as much as I can. If you haven’t heard of it you might look into it.

    Reply

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