This Woman Compared Products In The US And The UK, And The Difference In Ingredients Is Shocking

It’s no huge secret that food products sold in different countries have slightly different ingredients used in making them. But we do tend to forget this fact in our day-to-day lives, and this usually becomes apparent to us only when we go abroad.

This difference in product ingredients is most notable when going to the United Kingdom from the United States or vice versa. And let me tell you, it’s shocking when you sit down and compare some of the products from the two countries. That’s exactly what American author and food industry critic Vani Hari, better known as Food Babe, did. Read on for Bored Panda’s interview with Food Babe!

More info: foodbabe.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

McDonald’s French Fries

Image credits: Food babe

If you’re living in the US, then the fries you order at McDonald’s might have more than just natural vegetable oil and salt used in the cooking process. While the Quaker instant oatmeal you make yourself for breakfast is also much, much healthier in the UK. When considered broadly, quite a few food products have healthier UK alternatives. This brings into focus the question of whether the extra ingredients are having an effect on Americans and what it might be.

Facebook user Kacey Birch shared Food Babe’s comparison photos online with the words “Are we going to talk about this yet???” and the post went viral, getting more than 8,500 likes, 6,200 comments, and 128,000 shares.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Packets

Image credits: Food babe

Bored Panda reached out to Hari, aka Food Babe, to get more info about food, nutrition, and the reasons why products have different ingredients in the US and the UK.

“Europe takes a “precautionary principle” approach towards food additives that are potentially risky. They ban or add warning labels to these additives for their citizens. The US does not take this approach. It does not remove additives from our food supply until they have been proven dangerous – which can take a very long time and a lot of red tape.”

“Big Food companies will tell you that the European regulators are just being overly cautious, that all of the ingredients they put in their American products are perfectly safe. But are they really?” Food Babe asked. “If a company can get away with using cheaper ingredients, they will. Given a choice, they’ll always opt for the cheaper flavor enhancer, and the cheaper color additive, and the cheaper preservative, even if these cheaper alternatives potentially have a negative impact on our health.”

Mountain Dew

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“As I discuss in my book Feeding You Lies, the statistics on the health of Americans is downright grim. The U.S. spends 2.5 times more on health care than any other nation and when compared with 16 other developed nations, we come in dead last in terms of health. More than two-thirds of U.S. citizens are overweight and more than 18% of children are obese. After smoking, obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death. “

Heinz Ketchup

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“While there are many causes behind these dire statistics, undoubtedly one of the primary causes is the American diet, which is full of risky ingredients that are not used to the same extent in other countries. American food is overloaded with bad fats, way too much cheap refined sugar, and heaps of synthetic additives,” Food Babe explained.

Food Babe is well-known in the US and the world, with over 1.2 million followers on Facebook, 283,000 supporters on Instagram, 104,000 fans on Twitter. Hari has had quite an effect on the food industry: she influenced Kraft to stop putting in the artificial orange color in its macaroni and cheese, and also in part helped convince Subway to drop the bread additive azodicarbonamide.

Doritos

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Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal

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Macaroni & Cheese

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So, dear Pandas, what do you think about the product ingredient differences in the US and the UK? What’s your opinion on Food Babe? Do you have any personal advice on how to eat and live better? Let everyone know in the comments.