Top 10 Foods That Are Banned Around the World

Ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica, is a delicacy often eaten with salted fish. But anyone wanting to cook one must wait until the fruit has naturally split open (or, “yawned”), and only then can they discard the seeds, boil the flesh and then cook further. Why? Well, unripe ackee contains potentially fatal toxins called hypoglycins. While some ackee can be sold in the United States, provided the production comes from certified “Green List” firms, otherwise the Food and Drug Administration (or, FDA) is authorized to detain imported ackee that contains elevated levels of hypoglycin. Y-yummy . . .?

Back in 2011, the world was shocked when it was announced that France was banning ketchup. Well, like most cursory headlines meant to grab your attention, this was a half-truth . . . at best. In fact, French schools and colleges did ban the free and unfettered use of ketchup, mayonnaise and vinaigrette in order to promote healthy eating. In other words, students. specifically, could no longer slather their plates in unhealthy condiments no matter what they were eating, as young people are wont to do. But students could still have these sauces with individual dishes where appropriate. In other words: ketchup with fries? Allowed. Ketchup on a baguette with brie? MAIS NON!

Have a hate-on for chewing gum? If that’s the case then head on over to Singapore, where the import and selling of gum has been illegal for decades. Back in the early ‘90s, vandals were using gum to disrupt the door sensors on Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit trains. In order to prevent the costly maintenance work, President Goh Chok Tong had chewing gum banned outright. The chewy substance remains illegal to sell and import, although certain accommodations have been made for nicotine and dental gum. However, even the purchase of those requires permits or pharmaceutical prescriptions.

For those who don’t know, this is a Sardinian cheese containing jumping maggots. No, we’re not kidding. A traditional sheep’s milk pecorino cheese is allowed to become infested with the eggs of a type of cheese fly. When the larvae hatch, the maggots eat through the cheese, resulting in a liquidity texture and — apparently — delicious flavor. The live maggots can also jump about 6 inches into the air when disturbed, so . . . yeah. Turns out eating live maggots can result in a condition called pseudomyiasis, and as such, the cheese has been totally banned throughout the European Union.

This is an iconic and world-renowned Italian candy consisting of a delicious chocolate egg containing a toy in a plastic capsule. Well, in America the FDA has stated that the egg “poses a public health risk as the consumer may unknowingly choke on the object.” And they are right, as some children have died in Kinder-related accidents over the years. That said, many countries have recognized its definition as a toy, and like any toy with choking hazards, a certain degree of accountability is in order. Regardless, the egg remains banned in the United States, and people illegally importing Kinder Surprises from either Mexico or Canada face heavy fines if they are caught.

Foie Gras is a grossly enlarged duck or goose liver that has been artificially expanded through force feeding. It’s one of the most controversial foods in the world, especially in today’s age of veganism and expanded focus on animal welfare. Despite being a delicacy in France, the import and/or production of foie gras has been banned in many countries throughout the world, including India, Australia, California, and many European countries. New York City plans to ban the food by 2022. And for that matter, foie gras is hard to find even in places where it is legal, as many retailers refuse to stock it on personal and ethical grounds.

Shark finning takes a heavy, heavy toll. Fishing vessels catch a shark, hack off its fin, and release the finless shark back into the water, where it proceeds to suffocate. The shark fin trade is worth billions and kills up untold millions of sharks on an annual basis. Shark fins are used for texture, not flavor, in the Chinese “delicacy” shark fin soup. The act of shark finning has been banned in dozens of countries, and some places, including twelve American states, have banned the sale of shark fins altogether. In the summer of 2019, Canada became the first G7 country to nationally ban the import of shark fins. No shark fin soup for them!

Caviar is expensive, but then there’s beluga caviar! These tiny salty eggs come from the eponymous beluga, a type of wild sturgeon found primarily in the Caspian and Black Seas. It can cost thousands of dollars per pound. However, wild beluga sturgeon are listed as threatened, and are now protected by the Endangered Species Act; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned the import of beluga caviar in 2005. Thankfully there are now fish farms around the world that raise sustainable sturgeon, and there are also more sustainable and affordable caviars produced from paddlefish and other piscatorial sources.

You won’t find the infamous pufferfish in most Japanese take-out restaurants. That’s because the proper preparation of pufferfish, or fugu in Japanese, is so labor-intensive and rigorously controlled that chefs need to train for many years in order to handle, prepare, and cook the fish so as not to kill their customers. This is because the skin and organs of the fish contain lethal amounts of the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. Isn’t nature wonderful? Despite being a Japanese delicacy, the sale of the fish’s liver was banned in Japanese restaurants in the ‘80s. The sale of fugu is also banned throughout the entirety of the European Union.

Surely you’ve heard of haggis. It’s a Scottish dish primarily consisting of chopped sheep hearts, livers, and lungs, mixed with oatmeal and cooked in a sheep’s stomach casing. The aristocrats! But did you know that it is illegal to export haggis to the United States? A ban on the import of sheep lungs was issued way back in 1971 because inedible traces of stomach acid and phlegm can find their way into the animal’s lungs. That said, it is not illegal to eat haggis in the United States; the ban simply requires the haggis to be made in the country. So fear not. You didn’t break the law when you bought that local haggis that one time because you wanted to try it.







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