koalabear
~Armed and Fuzzy~
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2001
- Posts
- 101,964
What's really in your food?
Could a trip to the grocery store make you sick?
We may live in the "land of the free" and the "home of the brave" but America's national anthem might need a tweaking to include lyrics like "home of banned foods." That's because the shelves and refrigerated sections of our local grocers are stocked with foods that scientists and health officials across the pond and around the world wouldn't dream of letting cross their residents' lips.
But here in America, going grocery shopping gives new meaning to the term "food poisoning" since several staples in the American diet contain chemicals, additives and ingredients banned by China, Australia, the European Union and other countries. Here's a look at some of the most notorious foods and food additives available in America but banned elsewhere.
rBGH and rBST
Given to dairy cows by injection, these growth hormones increase milk production. Approximately one in six U.S. dairy cows are repeatedly injected with growth hormones. “Over 70% of the antibiotics used in this country are used in animal food production to keep the animals healthy due to confined or intensive operations and because it promotes faster growth of the animal,” says Mira Dessy, a nutrition educator in Houston. Boosting milk production via growth hormone can increase the need cows will have to be treated with antibiotics for inflammation of the breast tissue. According to the American Cancer Society, the increased use of antibiotics to treat this type of rBGH-induced inflammation "does promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the extent to which these are transmitted to humans is unclear."
Milk from cows treated with rBGH has a significant increase of the hormone insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which has been linked to breast, colorectal and prostate cancers. And rBGH and rBST can also show up in products like sour cream made with hormone-induced cow's milk.
Where it's banned: Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU and Canada
Could a trip to the grocery store make you sick?
We may live in the "land of the free" and the "home of the brave" but America's national anthem might need a tweaking to include lyrics like "home of banned foods." That's because the shelves and refrigerated sections of our local grocers are stocked with foods that scientists and health officials across the pond and around the world wouldn't dream of letting cross their residents' lips.
But here in America, going grocery shopping gives new meaning to the term "food poisoning" since several staples in the American diet contain chemicals, additives and ingredients banned by China, Australia, the European Union and other countries. Here's a look at some of the most notorious foods and food additives available in America but banned elsewhere.

rBGH and rBST
Given to dairy cows by injection, these growth hormones increase milk production. Approximately one in six U.S. dairy cows are repeatedly injected with growth hormones. “Over 70% of the antibiotics used in this country are used in animal food production to keep the animals healthy due to confined or intensive operations and because it promotes faster growth of the animal,” says Mira Dessy, a nutrition educator in Houston. Boosting milk production via growth hormone can increase the need cows will have to be treated with antibiotics for inflammation of the breast tissue. According to the American Cancer Society, the increased use of antibiotics to treat this type of rBGH-induced inflammation "does promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the extent to which these are transmitted to humans is unclear."
Milk from cows treated with rBGH has a significant increase of the hormone insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which has been linked to breast, colorectal and prostate cancers. And rBGH and rBST can also show up in products like sour cream made with hormone-induced cow's milk.
Where it's banned: Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU and Canada