What are some food ingredients allowed in the USA but banned in other countries?
The USA is well known for its safe food supply. But there are foods and ingredients in the
USA that are banned in other countries.
Each country and the European Union have their own food standards so
what can be sold in one country may be banned for sale in another country.
Go on a trip to another country and you will see American
food everywhere. In France, you can easily
stop at a McDonald’s for their coffee or food.
Our fast food restaurants seem to populate the globe. But some foods you can easily buy in the USA
are not sold in some other countries. Or,
there are some ingredients you can find on food labels in the USA but not in
some countries. What are some of these ingredients
and what countries ban them?
1.
Artificial
Food Dyes: Many candies and other foods are colorful
because of artificial food dyes. M&M’s
– one of my favorite snacks, especially the Peanut M&M’s, are colored
yellow, blue, red and green. If you look
at the ingredients the colors are noted:
Blue 1 Lake, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1. The
European Union requires a warning label on foods and snacks like M&M’s or
other candies that contain the food dyes:
yellow 5, yellow 6, or red 40. The
European Union required warning label states: “may have an adverse effect on
activity and attention in children”. Actually,
in the USA, for 10 years there were no red M&M’s. This was because in 1976 the Mars candy
company decided to remove red colored M&Ms because of the controversy over
the dye Red No. 2. The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) banned Red
No. 2 in 1976. Even though Red No. 2
wasn’t used in M&M candies, the Mars company stopped making red M&Ms
because of the concern over red food dyes and included orange M&M’s instead. Interesting that Canada took no action at the
time against Red No. 2. And in many
countries, such as all the European Union countries, Red No. 2 is still legal. (For
fun, look at this 1986 M&M commercial , sans red M&Ms: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk4JWFa1khQ).
But banning a red food dye doesn’t mean red food coloring is banned
forever. After the ten-year ban
(1976-1986), red M&Ms were back in 1987.
Why? Although Red No. 2 is banned, there is now Red No. 40. As noted above, the ingredient list for
M&M’s contains Red No. 40.
There is no exact science for deciding what food color to ban and which
to allow. Although Red No. 2 is still
illegal in the USA, it is still legal in other countries. In fact, the European
Food Safety Authority
declared it harmless in 2010. On the
other hand, the European Safety Authority recommends children limit their intake
of Red No. 40.
a. One
such preservative, Butylated Hydroxyanisole or BHA, can be found in many foods
such as potato chips, cereals, cookies and some vegetable oils. Again, countries differ in the regulation of
BHA. FDA has BHA on the GRAS list which
is a list of ingredients Generally Recognized As Safe. In contrast, the European Union has strict regulations
on the use of BHA.
b. Butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT) – also used as a preservative in foods such as snacks and
breads. BHT is also on FDA’s GRAS list
so in the USA it is recognized as safe.
In other countries, BHT is restricted and use is limited. Some companies have decided not to use BHT. In 2015, General Meals decided to remove BHT
from all its cereals.
 |
| Cinnamon Toast Crunch sans BHT |
c. Potassium
bromate – used in some baked goods as it helps dough rise and improves the
texture of baked goods. The European
Union, Argentina, Canada and some other countries have banned its use in
food. Potassium bromate is considered safe
by the FDA.
It is interesting how different
countries consider a food additive safe, while another country has banned it or
restricts its use. I am glad the red M&Ms
were brought back in 1987 and remain in a package of M&Ms. One doesn’t have to eliminate food dyes and
additives in order to cut back on them.
Eating real food instead of fake food is one way to easily cut back on
food dyes. For example, Sunny D contains many
preservatives and the food dyes, Yellow#5 and Yellow#6. Replace Sunny D with real orange juice and
you eliminated the preservatives and the food dyes. Cut back on the sports drinks like Gatorade
which contains Red 40 and hydrate with real juice or fresh fruit like
watermelon or oranges. Choose healthy whole
grain chips like Sun Chips that have no BHT in the ingredient list.
This week, take some time to read the labels
of the foods you eat and check the ingredients to see what artificial colors or
preservatives are in your foods.
Sources: Artificial
Food Dyes, candy,
Red
No. 2, commercial ,
Red No. 40,
Authority,
Preservatives,
cereals,
Potassium
bromate, safe, Sunny D Image Sources: Artificial dyes , Crunch , chips
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