All the Tasty Things are Banned

With origins based around alcohol, it should come as no surprise that Mountain Dew is banned in some countries. In case you didn't know, Mountain Dew was first developed in the 1940s to be intended as a mixer for whiskey. Created by bottlers who were coincidentally brothers, Barney and Ally Hartman, Mountain Dew was originally bottled by the Tri-Cities Beverage Corporation in Tennessee. Surprisingly enough, the Hartman brothers put in a bid with both Tri-Cities Beverage Corporation and The Coca-Cola Company, to which Coca-Cola refused. Following that, the Tip Corporation of Marion, Virginia, bought the rights to Mountain Dew, altered the flavor, and re-launched it in 1961. Then, in 1964, Pepsi-Co purchased the Tip Corporation and therefore Mountain Dew which is how Mountain Dew is a PepsiCo drink to this day.

Why is Mountain Dew banned? It contains BVO or brominated vegetable oil. Foods containing bromine are banned in the European Union and Japan. BVO is most commonly found in citrus flavored drinks, or at least it was. Why are foods with bromine banned? Health issues, that's why. Bromine, which is found in some flame retardants, can build up in the body and have the potential to create major neurological issues and skin problems. The good news is you should be ok unless you consistently down six packs of throwback Mountain Dew on a regular basis because BVO has been removed from Mountain Dew as of 2020.

One ban that isn't so surprising is meat containing ractopamine. What is ractopamine? Ractopamine is an additive in animal feed that promotes muscle growth, sort of like a steroid without actually being a steroid. If you see a meat product marketed with Paylean, Optaflexx, or Topmax, the animal has consumed or been treated with ractopamine. Unsurprisingly, the use of ractopamine is banned in 160 countries including China, Russia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Austria. Surprisingly, ractopamine is allowed for use in Japan, the United States, South Korea, and New Zealand as all have deemed meat from livestock fed ractopamine safe for human consumption. So what is the concern with using ractopamine? Well, in pigs, ractopamine is correlated with a range of negative health outcomes such as muscle tremors, increase in blood pressure (dose and time dependent), and restlessness. In terms of body response and organ compatibility, we are close enough to pigs to receive heart transplants and heart valve transplants from pigs, so it's something to think about. Fun fact: while not completely regulated, meat labeled "organic" does mean that no synthetic compounds can be given to the animal unless it's on the approved list, which means that certified organic meat means that the animal cannot have consumed ractopamine.

Another ban you may be surprised about is Wheat Thins. Wheat Thins are a whole grain cracker snack that were first introduced by Nabisco in 1947. In 2000, Philip Morris Companies Inc. acquired Nabisco and merged it with Kraft Foods. And then in 2011, Kraft Foods announced that it was splitting into a grocery company and a snack company. Nabisco became part of the snack company, which took the name Mondelez International. Why are Wheat Thins banned in some countries? They contain a preservative called BHT. BHT, or butylated hydroxytoluene is a preservative that has antioxidant properties. Why is it banned? It is a suspected cause of cancer and endocrine disruptors (altering the function or production of hormones) and is banned in the UK and Japan. BHT is also found in dry cereal products like Frosted Flakes, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Rice Krispies. The more you know, right?

There are plenty of other compounds that are banned and have been voluntarily phased out or removed from banned lists as more data has become available and research has been done. It is certainly something to think about on your next trip to the store.