Status: 02.10.2023, 04:45 a.m.
By: Kilian Bäuml
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Not all food from German supermarkets is available abroad. Some foods are prohibited and their consumption and import is even punishable.
Munich – Those who go on holiday are usually not only happy about beautiful landscapes and other cultures – often the food in other countries is a highlight on a trip. But not only the tastes are different, often the goods in the supermarket also differ. In some countries, foods that are allowed in Germany are banned. For example, a Kellogg's breakfast bar is banned in several European countries – other German everyday foods are also on banned lists abroad.
In several countries, the sale of raw milk is banned, and cheese such as Camembert is not available there. (Symbolic image/montage) © Imago
Ten foods that are banned in other countries – even everyday products such as surprise eggs
Not all products that can be found in German supermarkets are also available abroad. These ten foods are even banned abroad:
- Breakfast bar: In several European countries, the sale of a breakfast bar is prohibited. These include Finland, France and Norway. The Nutri Grain breakfast bar blueberry from the well-known manufacturer Kellogg's is affected. However, the reason is not the food itself, but an ingredient, because the blue dye from the bar is not approved in the countries. In this country, Kellogg's was thrown out of some supermarkets because they could not agree on the price dispute.
- Foie gras: For the delicacy, which is also known as foie gras, the geese need a fatty liver. To achieve this, they are forcibly fattened. This practice is not tolerated in some countries. As the animal welfare organization PETA reports, production is therefore prohibited in India, Israel, Australia, as well as California and New York.
- Jelly candies: Although the product is not prohibited per se, many manufacturers use the thickener konjac in production. This, in turn, is banned throughout the EU, so that many varieties are not available for purchase.
- Chewing gum: In Germany, chewing gum is quite common, but all too often it ends up on the floor. In Singapore, the sale, consumption and import of the food is therefore prohibited. Spitting chewing gum on the street is even a punishable offence there.
- Ketchup: In France, access to ketchup in schools has been restricted. French fries may only be served once a week in the school canteens and ketchup may only be eaten on this day. Under no circumstances, however, should the sauce be served with French dishes. The restriction is justified by the fact that ketchup is unhealthy and that the children should get to know their food – especially French dishes – in an unadulterated way.
- Poppy seeds: Seeds and grains are considered to be particularly healthy. They are especially popular on bread and rolls in this country. However, the food is banned in several eastern countries, including Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. The reason is that opium can be extracted from the plant. That is why it is on the index of the drug agency in the respective countries.
- Horsemeat: The consumption of horse meat has long been banned in parts of the United States. It was not until 2011 that the regulations were relaxed, but the product is still hardly sold.
- Raw milk: People from rural areas in particular are probably familiar with buying fresh milk directly from the farmer. However, in Australia, Canada, Scotland and some US states, the sale of raw milk is prohibited. Incidentally, the ban also applies to cheese made from untreated milk – varieties such as Camembert or Parmesan are not found there. Hygiene is the reason for the ban, as there are fears of pathogens in the untreated food.
- Samosas: The triangular Indian dumplings are available in every Indian restaurant in this country and now often also in supermarkets and kiosks as a snack for in between. Islamist groups, which at times controlled large parts of Somalia, banned the samosas, which were also popular there, for religious reasons. In 2011, they are said to have announced this over loudspeakers, as reported by the British newspaper Daily Mail. The reason is that the triangular shape of the samosas is reminiscent of the Christian Trinity.
- Surprise eggs: For many, they are associated with childhood memories – first eating the chocolate and then putting together a small toy. With some Ü-egg figures, even high prices can be achieved. In the USA, on the other hand, surprise eggs are banned. There is a general ban on non-edible objects in sweets for children. The import of surprise eggs and similar foods into the U.S. is also prohibited and will be punishable by fines.
- Sources: travelbook.com, insider.com, cosmopolitan.de, infranken.de, focus.de, Peta
Abroad there are not only other foods, the tastes are generally often very different. In one case, it even ended in violence, a holidaymaker in Mallorca was stabbed because he didn't like the food.
