Top 10 Foods You Can Only Eat in America

The slang term for lean finely textured beef, or LFTB, “pink slime” is used in beef as a filler. It comes from boneless beef trimmings, which are treated with ammonia, and when combined with the water in the beef, the slime produces ammonium hydroxide, a chemical that kills organisms. By March 2012, 70% of America's beef contained LFTB, but controversy arose after ABC News aired a segment on the product. Suddenly, LFTB use dropped, although it still remains legal. However, this is not the case in the European Union and Canada, where it is banned due to the presence of ammonia.

Ractopamine is certainly one of the world’s most divisive subjects when it comes to food. It is a food additive that is given to livestock in order to promote growth and leanness. As you can expect, there are a ton of side effects to ractopamine for both humans and animals, including high blood pressure and heart rate, muscle tremors, excitement, and anxiety. Various countries around the world, including America, use ractopamine in its livestock. However, over 160 others – including Russia and China – have banned the additive and/or banned the import of meats that have been raised with its help.

Artificial food coloring dates back to Ancient Egypt, and was widespread by the early 20th century. However, many of the ingredients used - like lead, mercury, and arsenic - are extremely dangerous. This led to moderation and federal assessment of the food coloring industry, which is still controversial and debated to this day. Sunset Yellow, a color used in American foods, is banned in various countries, and the same is true for Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, which have both been linked to cancer. Orange B hasn't been manufactured in America since the 70s, but its use in hot dog and sausage casing remains legal.

BHT, AKA butylated hydroxytoluene, is an organic compound that is used as an additive in food due to its antioxidant properties. Elsewhere, BHT is used in the creation of embalming fluid, turbine oil, and jet fuel. Cleared for food use by a 1979 study, debate continues to rage regarding the actual health effects of BHT, with some declaring that it has carcinogenic effects and may cause behavioral problems in young children. Some companies have been slowly phasing BHT out of their food, and while it remains legal in America, it has been banned in European countries, Australia, and Japan, to name a few.

Next time you buy a loaf of bread, you might want to scan the ingredients for potassium bromate. It's a possible carcinogen, and it's possibly in there. It’s an oxidizing agent that is used in the production of bread to make it rise faster and give it both a fluffy property and an unnaturally white color. However, due to its carcinogenic properties, it is banned in a wide variety of countries, including Canada, India, Brazil, the European Union, and China. While it remains perfectly legal in America, California uses warning labels when potassium bromate is used, which is a start.

Growth hormones can either come from natural sources, including progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol, or synthetic sorces, including trenbolone acetate, melengestrol acetate, and zeranol. These synthetic growth hormones are legal in both the United States and Canada, but they have been banned from the European Union since 1981. An additional European test was done in 1999 and found that there is no acceptable level for growth hormones in meat. The study came complete with claims that they caused numerous side effects, including developmental risks and carcinogenic properties. Given this, as of 2017 they remain banned in the EU, despite challenges from the Unites States and Canada.

Genetically modified anything tends to be controversial, be it canola oil or soybeans. These genetic modifications protect the maize and crops from herbicides, drought, and insects. However, despite reassurances from the scientific community, the public typically perceives modified corn to be harmful to human health. While a large majority of the world cultivates and imports genetically modified crops, others, like Peru, Russia, Algeria, and Venezuela have made cultivation and import of GMOs illegal. However, while recent trends favor organic produce, genetically modified crops are still widespread throughout much of the world.

Are you an American who enjoys a citrus soda? Well, you, unlike your European, Japanese, and Indian peers are likely chugging back brominated vegetable oil along with that citrusy treat. The problem? Unfortunately it's been linked to tremors, memory loss, confusion, and – in very high doses - the inability to walk. As for the soda pop, BVO is intended to keep orange, lemon-lime, and other citrus pops from separating, and has been used for that purpose since 1931. In the United States, it is legal for use, although in a restricted manner, and was voluntarily dropped by both Pepsi and Coke in 2014.

In the United States, the dairy industry uses a hormone called recombinant bovine somatotropin, which is given to cows to support milk production. This has been approved for use in America since 1994, and companies are not required to declare their use of rBST. However, many countries have prohibited rBST use in its cattle, including Canada and parts of the European Union. Reasons for its bans are varied, including a hesitation to use new technology and concerns over the cattle's well-being, as studies have shown that rBST contributed to cow lameness, an increased risk of culling, and infertility.


Before we look at our top pick, here’s a dishonorable mention.

Fruit with Diphenylamine

The idea of Olestra was a game-changer when the FDA approved its use in 1996. It was intended to replace fat in all kinds of junk foods, like popcorn and chips. However, it came with a rather unflattering and unappetizing warning: “Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients.” This was due to the possibility of steatorrhea - fatty poop in layman's terms. Unsurprisingly, sales slumped, and Olestra – although still FDA approved – all but disappeared from the market. Meanwhile, other countries, including Canada, almost immediately banned the product due to its questionable health effects.