The UK has a habit of yanking food ingredients before they become a problem. In the US, we tend to keep them around until someone gets sick, sues, or sparks a news cycle. That difference in approach shows up in a long list of banned substances, including three that regulators across the pond have already flagged as dangerous.
Here in the States, these ingredients are still legal—and still in your snacks, cereals, and supermarket bread. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for tighter rules and even pledged to phase out petroleum-based dyes. But when it comes to these three ingredients, there’s been more press than policy.
Here are a few food ingredients that are banned in the UK—and why Americans are still eating them.
1. Potassium Bromate
In the 1990s, the UK banned potassium bromate after studies linked it to cancer in lab animals. The powder is used to improve texture and whiten bread, mostly in commercial bakeries. California passed a ban in 2023, but it won’t kick in until 2027.
In the meantime, the FDA still allows potassium bromate in food at limited levels. They’re reviewing it, slowly, as part of a broader reassessment of additives.
2. Azodicarbonamide (ADA)
If you’ve ever heard of the “yoga mat chemical,” this is the one. Azodicarbonamide is used to bleach flour and give bread that soft, spongy feel. It’s also used in the foam that goes into yoga mats and shoe soles. Yummy.
Repeated exposure to ADA in industrial settings has been linked to asthma and respiratory issues. Its breakdown products have sparked concerns about cancer risk. The UK doesn’t allow it in food. The US does. Although it’s also under review.
3. Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOAH and MOSH)
These crude oil-derived compounds made headlines this summer after the UK found them in Jolly Ranchers. The Food Standards Agency warned that MOAH could damage DNA and increase cancer risk over time.
While the EU has started cracking down, the US hasn’t set regulatory limits for MOAH or its saturated cousin, MOSH. They’re not intentionally added to food, but they often make their way in through packaging and processing.
Plenty of people assume the FDA bans the bad stuff. But when it comes to food additives, the US often waits until damage is done. The UK’s version of “better safe than sorry” might not be perfect, but it’s a step ahead.
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