Americans are slowly raising their awareness about the sad fact that most of their favorite foods are far inferior to the same foods sold in other countries. To be more precise, many of the foods Americans eat are BANNED in other countries in the world.
In this article we have covered the top 10 American foods that are banned elsewhere.
Now that there is enough evidence proving that the overall health of people in the US is so much lower in comparison to other industrialized countries, you simply can not avoid the question whether these toxic foods could possibly be held as responsible for the sky-reaching disease rates.
1. Farm-Raised Salmon
We have explained for so many times how fish is really healthy for you and if you decided to add it to your shopping list and maximize the health benefits from the fish you eat, then try to stay away from farmed fish, especially farmed salmon.
This type is often fed with dangerous chemicals. The bright pinkish-red color wild salmon has comes from the natural carotenoids they eat. On the other hand, farmed salmon are raised in a completely different way.
The unnatural diet of grains (including genetically engineered varieties) is the worst part of it, and not to mention that a concoction of antibiotics and other drugs and chemicals are added to their food, and none of these have shown to be safe for people.
This diet regimen makes its flesh unappetizing and grayish, so to improve the appearance, farmed salmon are fed with synthetic astaxanthin made from petrochemicals. This substance has not been approved for human consumption and it also contains some toxicities that are well known to the public.
Where it is banned: Australia and New Zealand
You probably wonder how could you possibly know whether a salmon is wild or farm-raised? Wild sockeye salmon has bright red flesh, which comes due to its natural astaxanthin content.
It is also very lean, and the fat marks -- the white stripes you see across the meat, are very thin. If the fish you are about to buy is pale pink and its fat marks are wide, then you know that the salmon is farmed.
You also want to avoid Atlantic salmon, because typically salmon which is labeled as “Atlantic Salmon” is raised in fish farms. When buying salmon, there are two designations you want to look for: “Alaskan salmon,” and “sockeye salmon”.
Alaskan sockeye is not allowed to be farmed, which is why you can be sure that this fish is all healthy and naturally fed. And, yes, please start realizing the fact that the vast majority of the salmon you eat in restaurants is farm raised.
Now you know that canned salmon labeled as “Alaskan Salmon” is a good choice, and if you could possibly find any sockeye salmon, you are more than guaranteed that the fish is wild and healthy.
Again, you can differ sockeye salmon from other salmon according to its color; sockeye salmon is bright red opposed to pink, due to its superior astaxanthin content. Moreover, when compared to other foods, regarding the concentration of astaxanthin, sockeye salmon actually has one of the highest concentrations.
2. Genetically Engineered Papaya
It is sadly to know, but you must be aware of the fact that most Hawaiian papaya is now genetically engineered.
This step was taken in order to make the fruit resistant to the ringspot virus. Many recent studies show that animals fed with genetically engineered foods, like corn and soy, suffer a wide range of diseases and disorders, including intestinal damage, multiple-organ damage, massive tumors, birth defects, premature death, and near complete sterility by the third generation of offspring.
Unfortunately, the gigantic lab experiment regarding human casualties is only about 10 years old, meaning we are decades away from the final results about the harmful effects on human health.
Where it’s banned: The European Union
Unfortunately, you can not expect that at this point the US government will be in a position to make reasonable and responsible decisions regarding the genetically engineering, if you take into consideration the fact that the Obama administration has placed Michael Taylor, the former Monsanto attorney and Vice President, in charge of US food safety, and there are some serious conflicts of interest even within the US Supreme Court!
You read that well. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is also a former Monsanto attorney, but however, he refuses to acknowledge any possible conflict of interest.
3. Ractopamine-Tainted Meat
The beta agonist drug ractopamine is actually a repartitioning agent that increases the protein synthesis. It was recruited for livestock use when the results of many studies showed that the drug, commonly used in treating asthma, increased the muscle mass in mice, meaning it reduces the overall fat content of the meat.
Today, in the US ractopamine is used in about 45% of the pig farms, 30% of the ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys are literally pumped full of this drug during the days before the slaughter.
Even worse is the fact that up to 20 percent of the ractopamine remains in the meat sold in the supermarkets, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox.
Since 1998, there are records claiming that more than 1,700 people have been “poisoned” from eating pork coming from farms where pigs were fed with the drug, and -- pay special attention to this one -- ractopamine is banned from use in the food animals eat in no less than 160 different countries, and it is all due to its harmful and disastrous health effects!
Russia issued a ban on the meat imported from the US, which became effective on February 11, 2013, and the country remains strict to this question until the US agrees to certify that the meat is ractopamine-free.
What is worse, in the US the meat sold in markets is not even tested for the presence of this drug. In animals, ractopamine is associated with malfunction of the reproductive system, increase of mastitis in dairy herds, and increased death rate and disability.
Researchers have also found that it affects the human cardiovascular system, and rastopamine is held as responsible for hyperactivity. It may also cause chromosomal abnormalities and behavioral changes.
Where it’s banned: 160 countries across Europe, Russia, mainland China and Republic of China (Taiwan)
4. Flame Retardant Drinks
If you are a US citizen and prefer drinking Mountain Dew or other citrus-flavored sodas and sports drinks, then you should be aware of the fact that you are also getting a dose of brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a synthetic chemical. Chemical companies originally patented it as a flame retardant.
Researchers have proven that BVO can bioaccumulate in human tissue and breast milk, and the results from the animal studies have shown that it causes some serious reproductive and behavioral problems. Bromine is actually a central nervous system depressant, and a common endocrine disruptor. It is member of the halide family.
It is the same group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. When bromine enters the organism, it competes for the same receptors that capture iodine. This can sometimes result in iodine deficiency, which can seriously affect your health.
Where it is banned: Europe and Japan
5. Processed Foods Containing Artificial Food Colors and Dyes
US manufacturers add more than 3,000 food additives, such as preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients to the foods you eat, also including infant foods and foods for young children. Many of these foods are banned in other countries in the world.
This was based on the results of a research that found it has toxic and hazardous health effects, and it is also associated with the adverse effects on children’s behavior.
Where it is banned: Norway and Austria.
6. Arsenic-Laced Chicken
The US Food and Drug Administration approved adding arsenic-based drugs to the animal food in the US, because these make animals grow quicker and the meat gets a nice pink color (i.e. it looks “fresher”).
FDA has confirmed that these products are safe because they contain organic arsenic, considered to be less toxic than the inorganic form, known for its cancer-causing effect.
The problem appeared when some scientific reports stated that this organic arsenic could easily transform into inorganic arsenic, found in elevated levels in chickens sold in supermarkets. The cancerogenic arsenic also contaminates the manure and it can eventually migrate into the drinking water and it may also raise the arsenic levels in the US rice.
In 2011, Pfizer said it would voluntarily stop marketing Roxarsone, an arsenic-based feed additive, but unfortunately, there are still a few others on the market.
Some environmental groups have raised a lawsuit against the FDA asking for their removal from the market. Meanwhile, the European Union, have never approved arsenic-based compounds as safe for animal feed nor used these for that purporse.
Where it is banned: The European Union
7. Bread with Potassium Bromate
You are probably not aware of this, but you should know that nearly every time you take a slice of bread in a restaurant or eat a hamburger or hotdog bun you also consume bromide, as it is commonly used in the flour. Potassium bromate is used as an additive to commercial breads and pastry which resulted in a bromide overload in all the Western cultures.
Bromated flour is, let’s say, “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies support its use and they claim that it makes the dough more elastic and more able to stand up to the bread hooks.
However, some of the companies do not agree on this subject, and Pepperidge Farm and other successful companies still use only unbromated flour without interfering with any of these so-called “structural problems.”
Many studies have associated potassium bromate with severe kidney and nervous system damage, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified potassium bromate in the group of possible carcinogens.
Where it is banned: Canada, China and the EU
8. Olestra/Olean
Olestra, aka Olean is created by Procter & Gamble. It is a calorie- and cholesterol-free fat substitute commonly used in fat-free snacks, such as like chips and French fries. Three years ago, it was on Time Magazine3’s list of the top 50 worst inventions ever, but the food companies still use it to satisfy people’s mistaken belief and support the theory that a fat-free snack is always a healthier snack.
Where it is banned: The UK and Canada
9. Preservatives BHA and BHT
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are preservatives commonly used in the production of breakfast cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter spread, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer, but the list does not end here.
Studies found that BHA causes cancer in rats, and it is also considered as a cancer-causing agent in humans.
Moreover, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Toxicology Program’s 2011 Report on Carcinogens, BHA “is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” BHA can also cause allergic reactions and hyperactivity, and the use of BHT may result in organ system toxicity.
Where it is banned: In the UK manufacturers are not allowed to use BHA in the production of infant foods. BHA and BHT are also banned in some parts of the EU and Japan.
10. Milk and Dairy Products Laced with rBGH
Statistics says that recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is the largest selling dairy animal drug in the US. It is the synthetic version of natural bovine somatotropin (BST), a hormone that is naturally produced in cows’ pituitary glands.
Monsanto, of course, developed this version from genetically engineered E. coli bacteria and on the market you can find it under the brand name “Posilac.”
RBGH is injected into cows in order to increase the milk production, but at least 30 other nations has banned it, because of the studies which found it may cause some serious health problems, including an increased risk for colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer by supporting the conversion of normal cells into cancerous ones.
RBGH-injected cows in non-organic dairy farms frequently suffer from at least 16 different adverse health problems, including very high rates of mastitis which often results in milk contamination with pus and antibiotics.
Many have tried to raise people’s awareness of the risks the use of this hormone in dairy cows brings, but every attempt was shut down by the overwhelming opposition of powerful dairy and pharmaceutical industries, and their government liaisons.
FDA omits the decades of evidence about the dangers rBGH brings, and it still says that it is safe for human consumption, ignoring the scientific evidence to the contrary.
In 1999, the United Nations Safety Agency ruled unanimously not to endorse or set any safety standards for rBGH “enriched” milk, which has eventually resulted in an international ban on US milk imports.
The Cancer Prevention Coalition has been waiting for years to get the use of rBGH in the dairy industry banned, and in January 2010, it resubmitted a petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD.
Although the FDA remains stubborn to this issue, claiming that the milk from rBGH-treated cows is same as the milk from untreated cows, this is just a simple and frustrating lie and it is not supported by any scientific evidence. The only way you can avoid rBGH-milk is to choose products labeled as “rBGH-free” or “No rBGH.”
Where it is banned: Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU and Canada
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.
Follow us on Facebook to stay updated with what's going Viral in the Alternative News scene. https://www.facebook.com/ViralAlternativeNews
