11 Banned Foods Which Could Get You In Big Trouble

From poppy seeds in Saudi Arabia, to Kinder eggs in the USA, we explore the world’s weirdest banned foods.

Hungry for haggis? Fancy some foie gras? Peckish for poppy seeds? Depending on where you are in the world, your food choice could in fact be illegal. Here’s our round up of 11 things your don’t want in your baggage as you approach customs.
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Kinder eggs

Milk Chocolate Easter Egg On White Background

Banned: United States

Reason: contravenes the 1938 Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act which bans items containing a “non-nutritive object”
Legal: Rest of the world

Jelly cups

Banned: Europe

Reason: Contains konjac, konjac gum or konjac glucomannan, which are banned in the UK because their slippery texture is a choking hazard.
Legal in: Japan, Taiwan and Far East

Unpasteurised ‘raw’ milk

Banned: Some US states, Canada, Scotland, Australia
Reason: due to potential pathogens present that may be harmful.
Legal: England, Wales, Africa, Asia, Europe and New Zealand

Samosas

Banned: Parts of Somalia under the control of the Islamist extremist group Al-Shabaab
Reason: the belief that these three-pointed snacks represent the Christian holy trinity.
Legal: The rest of the world

Haggis

Banned: United States
Reason: a 1971 ban on importing products containing sheep lungs. Is in the process of being overturned, hopefully for Burns’ night 2017.
Legal: The rest of the world

Foie gras

Banned: India, San Paulo, California
Reason: production methods are considered inhumane
Legal: The rest of the world
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Chewing gum

Banned: Singapore
Reason: Singapore banned the import of gum in 1992 as the mess left by chewers became to expensive to clean up
Legal: The rest of the world

Poppy seeds

Banned: Singapore, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Reason: considered ‘prohibited goods’ by Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau, Saudi Arabia also bans them on religious grounds
Legal: The rest of the world

Blueberry Nutrigrain bars

Banned: Norway, Finland, France
Reason: contains the artificial colouring Blue #1
Legal: The rest of the world

Fugu fish

Puffer fish or fugu is a delicacy in Japan

Banned: Europe, China
Reason: incredibly poisonous.
Legal: Japan, South Korea & USA (under strict licence)

Horse meat

Banned: California, Illinois
Reason: in 1998 horse meat for human consumption was banned
Legal: The rest of the world
Do you know of any banned foods? Let us know in the comments box below.

About the author

Andrew Webb

Food & Drink Editor

Born in the Midlands and raised in the North West of England, Andrew came to London to attend St Martin's College of Art. After ten years working for the BBC and Channel 4, he set off on an eight month food tour of Britain, which led him to write his award-winning book, Food Britannia. He was previously the Editor of Lovefood.com and also produced and hosted delicious magazine's podcast. Responsible for the Culture Trip's food and drink content, he is interested in hearing about food events, product launches and potential interviews with chefs and food producers. He's also judged the British Pie Awards, reviewed restaurants, and spoken at food festivals, and so knows a good plate of food when he sees it. He can be found tweeting here @foodjournalist