There are a lot of banned food ingredients overseas which somehow are allowed to be sold in the United States. The United States has the FDA which is meant to actively help people stay healthy and the government has done a lot to help protect us from bad or fatal food-borne illnesses.  But for some reason, many foods and ingredients banned in other countries are allowed in the US.  Here’s a list of the top products other countries forbid due to their negative effects on human health that US allows, from an article on Shape.com:

  • Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6) – many artificial colors are created from the same thing that protects the shine on industrial floors: coal tar.  Oh – and it’s also used to kill head lice.
  • Olestra (aka Olean) –prevents the body from absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and micro-nutrients, found in fat-free potato chips.
  • Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO) – can possibly cause thyroid problems, cancer, or autoimmune diseases.  An ingredient in BVO, bromine, is toxic and has been linked to birth defects, organ system damages, and schizophrenia among other problems.
  • Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour) – also includes bromine and has been linked to gastrointestinal pain and nervous system disorders.
  • Azodicarbonamide – this is a chemical found in foamed plastics and is linked to asthma.
  • BHA and BHT – possibly causes cancer.
  • Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST) – linked to colon, breast and prostate cancer.
  • Arsenic – found in poultry and is a known human carcinogen.

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