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Some foods are so dangerous, governments had no choice but to pull them from shelves. Join us as we count down our picks for the most notorious foods and drinks so unhealthy they were actually banned! From raw milk to energy drinks, these items pushed the limits of what's safe to consume. Would you dare try any of these outlawed eats? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00It can be dangerous. It can have many different types of bacteria.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the food and drinks so bad for you, they
00:08were outlawed.
00:09Consumers who bought the wild chips and other Olestra products complained of disturbing bowel-related side effects.
00:16Energy drinks. In the U.S., anyone can buy a Monster or a Red Bull if they've got a few
00:21bucks in their pocket.
00:22I feel like I'm accessing a different plane that's beyond all the Red Bull studies.
00:27But that's not the case in every country. With many parents and teachers concerned about kids chugging so much caffeine
00:32and sugar,
00:33some governments have restricted or banned the beverages outright.
00:36There have been studies that show that caffeine can increase your heart rate and cause some abnormalities in your heart
00:41rhythm.
00:41Children are unaccustomed to having caffeine, so these effects can be that much more dramatic.
00:46If they're drinking a lot, then they can get a larger dose of caffeine than their little bodies can even
00:50handle.
00:50Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have outlawed sales to people under 18,
00:54while France, Italy, and Sweden don't allow them to be sold in schools.
00:58China, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand all have legal limits on the amount of caffeine allowed per serving.
01:03England, meanwhile, has proposed the strictest law of all, prohibiting their sale to anyone under 16.
01:08Just one can of these energy drinks can have more caffeine than two shots of espresso.
01:17Blood clams.
01:18This freaky-looking mollusk has red, hemoglobin-rich blood, just like people do.
01:23That unique aspect of their biology makes them especially dangerous to eat.
01:33Like all shellfish, blood clams are filter feeders, meaning they absorb tons of bacteria and other toxins from the water.
01:40Their human-like blood allows viruses like hepatitis A to survive inside them for months.
01:44They're most popular in East Asia, especially China, where they're often cultivated in heavily polluted waters.
01:50In-season, blood clams are captivating the palates of gourmands for the winter season.
01:55However, blood clams are banned in Shanghai since they were linked to a 1988 outbreak of hepatitis that killed 31
02:01people.
02:02It's illegal to import them into the U.S. from Asia, so if you find any for sale at Asian
02:06markets, give them a pass.
02:07That was good.
02:09Oh my god.
02:10Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
02:11This ultra-processed and ultra-popular snack has become the poster child for the debate around junk food and kids'
02:17nutrition.
02:17In the early 2010s, schools and states including California, Illinois, and New Mexico started banning the Bright Red Cheetos,
02:24in part because they're really messy, but also because they're so unhealthy.
02:28Each of these snack-sized bags contains 26 grams of fat and a quarter of the amount of sodium that's
02:35recommended for the entire day.
02:37In 2025, the FDA announced that it would be eliminating some artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply.
02:42Obviously, the fire engine color of Flamin' Hot Cheetos isn't natural.
02:45They contain multiple dyes on the banned list.
02:48I was a big fan of Cheetos, especially the hot ones.
02:51But when I read what's inside of it, I took it out of our diet completely.
02:56Cheetos' parent company, PepsiCo, has already launched a dye-free version of the Flamin' Hot Snack,
03:00and soon, it might be the only version you can buy.
03:02The company says the new Simply NKD line will taste just like the originals.
03:07Don't worry, the classic versions aren't going anywhere either.
03:10Original Four Loko.
03:11Caffeine and alcohol are a dangerous combination.
03:14Four Loko was introduced in 2005, and the original formulation had as much caffeine in one can as two Red
03:20Bulls.
03:21Some call it blackout in a can.
03:23This made it difficult for consumers to gauge how intoxicated they actually were,
03:27and enabled them to stay awake and keep drinking when they might have otherwise passed out.
03:31In 2010, these drinks took off on college campuses,
03:34leading to a rash of students being hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.
03:37I hear they're supposed to get you pretty drunk, but I turned into a totally different person, and I will
03:41never drink them again.
03:42States and individual universities started banning them, and by the end of the year,
03:46the FDA had ordered Four Loko and other companies to take out the caffeine.
03:49Today, you can still find Four Loko on convenience store shelves, but this formula is caffeine-free.
03:54And it comes down to personal responsibility.
03:57You know, having one, I don't think that's a problem.
03:59Having ten, well, you know, that's a problem.
04:02Unpasteurized cheese.
04:03Some countries celebrate it.
04:05Others outlaw it.
04:06Cheeses made from raw milk, such as A-plus,
04:09mantour, and authentic camembert and brie de malle,
04:12can harbor dangerous bacteria like listeria.
04:14These harmful bacteria usually don't change the look, taste, or smell of milk.
04:20And you can only be sure that they're not in your milk if it's been pasteurized.
04:25In France, these cheeses are considered a staple of local cuisine,
04:28even though they're a major cause of food poisoning.
04:39But in Australia, they've been banned since the 1940s,
04:43with exceptions for just a handful of European varieties.
04:46In the US and Canada, unpasteurized cheese can be sold only if it's been aged more than 60 days.
04:51Theoretically, this should kill any harmful bacteria,
04:54though tests have shown that some pathogens can survive beyond that time limit.
04:57Independent cheese producers in France are embroiled in the so-called camembert wars
05:02with big producers over the use of the prestigious AOP Normandy camembert label.
05:07That means you should use caution when adding raw milk gouda to your charcuterie.
05:12Casu marzu.
05:13This Italian sheep cheese is banned in the US and the EU,
05:17but not because it's made from raw milk.
05:18Originally from Sardinia,
05:20casu marzu is intentionally infested with maggots from cheese flies.
05:23That is some stinky cheese.
05:25The worms are allowed to eat and digest the cheese,
05:28turning it into a soft, squirmy mess.
05:30Since the maggots are still alive when humans eat the cheese,
05:33it can cause severe digestive issues and can even lead to a parasitic infection.
05:37That prompted Guinness World Records to name it
05:39the world's most dangerous cheese in 2009.
05:41I think I should forget about what happened in this cheese,
05:44or I will never eat it again.
05:47Casu marzu is illegal to sell in Italy,
05:49but there's a thriving black market for it in Sardinia,
05:51where it's considered part of the local heritage.
05:53There are few of those who still do the form of magic,
05:56but I've always known it.
05:59Absinthe.
05:59To be fair,
06:00this green spirit is probably no more dangerous
06:02than any other extremely strong alcohol.
06:05The hills of life
06:09with the sound of music
06:13But in the late 1800s and early 1900s,
06:16absinthe gained a fearsome reputation.
06:18It was believed to cause hallucinations,
06:20and was blamed for a range of violent crimes.
06:23This led multiple Western countries to ban it,
06:25including the U.S. in 1912.
06:27Spain and the Czech Republic continued to produce and legally consume it,
06:30but much of the world forgot about absinthe.
06:33Over the years,
06:33studies proved that absinthe wasn't actually hallucinogenic,
06:36and was generally safe to drink in moderation.
06:38Most countries repealed their bans in the late 90s and early 2000s.
06:42It's still outlawed in some New Zealand towns,
06:44and the island nation of Vanuatu
06:46has stubbornly hung on to its ban since 1915.
06:48To the green fairy.
06:50Snacks with Olestra.
06:51Thanks in part to extreme diet culture,
06:53Olestra exploded onto the food scene in the late 90s.
06:56You know they're fat-free?
06:57Only half the calories.
06:58This artificial additive takes the place of natural fats,
07:02but human bodies don't metabolize it or absorb any calories from it.
07:05That made it possible to produce low-calorie,
07:07fat-free potato chips and french fries
07:09that still tasted like the real thing.
07:11It sounds too good to be true.
07:13And it was.
07:14Consumers soon discovered that wolfing down a whole bag of Olestra Doritos
07:17was a recipe for a bad time.
07:19The additive caused severe cramps,
07:21a host of digestive issues,
07:22and most famously, anal leakage.
07:24While P&G disputed those criticisms,
07:27public perception soured fast,
07:29and by the year 2000,
07:30sales had dropped by half.
07:32It also blocked the absorption of some important vitamins.
07:35Sadly, those fat-free chips are now a thing of the past.
07:38Oh my god!
07:40They dug up a bag of Olestra chips from my time!
07:43Meow.
07:44Trans fats.
07:45Small amounts of trans fats are naturally found in meat and dairy products,
07:48but it's the artificial kind found in partially hydrogenated oils
07:52that you have to watch out for.
07:53Trans fat lowers your HDO, which is your good cholesterol,
07:58and it raises your LDL, which is your bad cholesterol.
08:01This type of unsaturated fat is absurdly bad for your heart.
08:05Studies have shown that replacing just 2% of the trans fat in a person's diet
08:09with unsaturated fats cuts their risk of heart disease in half.
08:12Because of this, artificial trans fats are heavily regulated
08:15or banned in most developed countries.
08:17But trans fats are responsible for more than half a million doses around the world each year,
08:24most in low- and middle-income countries.
08:28The FDA banned them completely in the U.S. in 2018.
08:31Unfortunately, that led many companies to replace them with palm oil,
08:34which is probably just as bad for you,
08:36not to mention terrible for the environment.
08:37The solution can't be deforestation.
08:46Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's Aria,
08:50Songs from Iran,
08:51reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
08:56Check out the full track and album below.
09:13Raw milk.
09:14It's one of the most controversial foods in America.
09:16Let's discuss the fact that the FDA says this is dangerous.
09:21Proponents claim raw milk contains beneficial enzymes,
09:24while health experts warn that it harbors tons of deadly pathogens.
09:27Raw milk is milk that hasn't been pasteurized,
09:30which means heating it to around 160 degrees for a few seconds or minutes to kill harmful bacteria.
09:36The bulk of the data demonstrates that pasteurized milk is very healthy and easily digestible
09:42and leads to good health outcomes.
09:45Microorganisms love milk and juice,
09:47and without pasteurization, they multiply like crazy.
09:50Raw milk has been responsible for a multitude of disease outbreaks over the years,
09:53and before pasteurization was widely adopted,
09:56a lot of people died from drinking it.
09:58The Florida Department of Health is warning people against the hazards of drinking raw,
10:02unpasteurized milk,
10:03a practice that has risen in popularity over the years,
10:06but dozens of Floridians got sick from it this month.
10:10In the U.S., it's been banned from sale across state lines since 1987,
10:14and less than half of states allow it to be sold in stores.
10:17Would you try any of these banned foods,
10:19or are you staying far away?
10:20Let us know in the comments below.
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