My stomach, my choice?

Monday 19 April 2010 00:00 BST

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Not exactly. Gastronomers, gastronomic nationalists and ethical foodies have been abuzz since PETA and actress Kate Winslet launched their latest anti-foie gras, fatty duck and goose liver campaign on April 15, sparking new debates over bans. In many countries the production of foie gras is banned and it's not the only food seen as a delicacy in one area and outright illegal to import and/or consume in another.

These 16 foods have been banned in certain places for health and/or ethical reasons, although some are on and off the blacklist depending on various standards of endangerment:

Trans fats: New York City

Raw milk: Scotland, United States

Absinthe: only forbidden if a toxic ingredient is below 10 ppm

Uncertified Chilean sea bass (toothfish): 24 nations

Horse meat: parts of the United States, possible ban in Italy and France

Wild Beluga caviar: Russia and the United States

Shark fins: European Union, United States

"Blowfish" (Fugu), toxic and lethal delicacy in Japan and Korea: most nations including Japan

Casu Marzu Maggot Cheese: European Union and United States

Sassafras, spice that can cause cancer: Cambodia, United States

Redfish, endangered: United States

Ortolan, small endangered songbird: France

Sei whale sushi: United States

High-fructose corn syrup: under fire in both San Francisco, New York City

Salt: could find a similar fate as trans fats in New York City

Food chemical stabilizers and powders used in molecular gastronomy: Italy

According to Treehugger, a green living blog, the following foods and food practices are banned in Europe but still allowed in the United States: genetically modified foods, bovine growth hormone, chlorinated chickens and certain artificial food dyes (soon to be banned).

However, killing a monkey at the table and scooping out its brains is a delicacy in parts of Asia, and there are many other bites around the world that many think are wrong or not good for health, including: bear's paw, live baby mice, scorpions and smoked reindeer. Whether you are a gastronomer or gastronomic nationalist, most likely what will be on your next plate does not begin with your stomach but the laws of the land.

Sources: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-banned-foods.php

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-foods-banned-in-europe-still-available-in-the-us.html

http://consumerist.com/2008/05/9-foods-youre-not-allowed-to-buy.html