'Banned in the USA' Foods From Around the World Banned in America

© Alex Mellon
© Alex Mellon | Banned in the USA (with apologies to 'The Boss') | Alex Mellon

Food & Drink Editor

Did you know there’s a whole bunch of foods and products that are illegal to take into America? Here’s foods Uncle Sam won’t let in.

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Haggis

The national dish of Scotland is banned in America as there’s a 1971 law that states foods must not contain sheep lungs.

Slaughtering horses for human consumption is illegal in the USA (though technically, consuming horse meat isn’t).

Smoked horse meat on toast │

Black pudding

Black pudding, and other ‘blood cakes’ from around the world such as ti-hoeh-koe from Taiwan, are banned in US due to sanitary reasons.

Kinder eggs

These European treats contravene the 1938 Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act which bans items containing a “non-nutritive object in food”.

Unpasteurised ‘raw’ milk

Banned in some, but not all, US states on health grounds.

Casu Marzu

An Italian delicacy, and we use that word lightly, this is a round pecorino cheese infested with maggots, that you eat.

Foie Gras

Not totally banned, but certainly banned in California and a few other states. Foie gras is a fattened gooses liver.

Raw foie gras │

Ackee fruit

The national fruit of Jamaica, which if not fully ripe, can contain high levels of Hypoglycin A and B. Consequently fresh fruit is banned, though some canned versions are now available.

Shark fins

Banned simply for the cruel method of acquiring them (namely cutting the fins of the animal while alive and throwing it back into the sea) and to preserve shark numbers.

Shark

Beluga caviar

Found in Russia and parts of Iran, and banned from being importing to protect overfishing of sturgeon in those countries.

Japanese puffer fish

Banned unless you have a special licence, because its so deadly poisonous!

Puffer Fish or Fugu is a delicacy in Japan

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