An analysis by DailyMail.com has found that American staples contain several times more additives than the same items in Britain.
For example, whole wheat bread in the US contains almost three times as many ingredients as a similar equivalent in Britain.
Meanwhile, condiments from the exact same brand vary wildly between the two countries, with the American version containing more additives, sugar and other harmful substances.
European and British food laws are generally stricter and ban several toxic additives that are allowed to remain in products sold in the US.
European and British food laws are generally stricter and ban several toxic additives that are allowed to remain in products sold in the US. It means that American food often contains many more ingredients, as seen above
The more ingredients something has, the more processed that food is.
Mountains of research show that eating too many ultra-processed foods dramatically increases the risk of premature death, dementia and heart disease.
Experts say a good rule of thumb is to aim for foods with no more than five ingredients.
DailyMail.com chose six common grocery and popular food products that Britons and Americans regularly shop for and consume.
We analyzed the ingredients in the same products (or similar equivalents if the same brand was not available in both countries) from mainstream supermarkets in each country, including Target and Walmart in the US and Tesco and Sainsbury’s in the UK.
Below, DailyMail.com reveals six common foods in the US and Britain that, despite being the same products, differ drastically in what they contain:
Bread
It’s crucial for some of your favorite meals: avocado toast, peanut butter and jelly, and grilled cheese.
But in America you consume almost three times the amount of ingredients in one of the most common brands of whole wheat bread compared to a regular bread brand in Britain.
Nature’s Own 100 percent wholemeal sliced sandwich bread contains 33 ingredients, compared to the 13 ingredients in Warburtons’ Wholemeal Medium Bread.
Although they both contain the typical ingredients of flour, water and yeast, Nature’s Own also has additives to improve the appearance of the products, such as monocalcium phosphate, a man-made compound used to achieve a uniform grain in baked goods .
Nutritionists have told DailyMail.com that a short ingredient list indicates that something is natural, contains few additives and has undergone very little processing.
Another hack, according to Jessica Cording, a registered dietitian New Jerseyis to avoid items with ingredients that are difficult to pronounce.
Chips/crisps
Something to nibble on with friends, Doritos are a household name in the snack world.
They are packed with flavor, but also full of additives if you buy a bag in the US. Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nachos has 41 ingredients listed on the package, including Red 40, Yellow 6 and Yellow 5 food coloring.
These food colorings are believed to worsen attention problems in children.
The similar British product Doritos Chilli Heatwave does not list red 40, yellow 6 or yellow 5 food coloring in the ingredients – and it contains only 19 ingredients.
Ketchup
You top your burger with it and dip your fries (or chips if you’re across the pond) in it, but the popular condiment isn’t made equally all over the world.
In Britain there are seven ingredients in a Heinz tomato ketchup bottle and in the US there are eight. Although the number of ingredients may be similar, the composition is not.
Not included in the UK version but present in the US is high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. These are sweeteners from corn starch, where glucose syrup with a high fructose content contains more sugar than its regular counterpart.
Although neither are harmful substances, added sugars and high fructose syrup are considered the leading causes of obesity in America.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 40 percent of Americans are currently obese, compared to the 26 percent of people in Britain who are obese.
Grated cheese
Melt it over nachos or top your chili with it, shredded cheese has countless uses.
And it has tons of ingredients too – if you live in the US.
The average generic store brand of mild cheddar grated cheese contains three times as many ingredients as in Britain, including colorings and a mold inhibitor.
In the British version of generic cheese there are generally only two ingredients: milk and potato starch.
Deli meat
Deli meat is classified as a level 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization because it contains dangerous ingredients.
In both the US and UK, generic turkey breast deli meat contains a harmful substance.
But in the US there are more than twice as many ingredients: ten compared to four in Britain.
Pizza
A classic favorite, available in thin crust and deep dish and can come with just about any topping you can think of, including the controversial pineapple.
However, if you get pizza from the popular chain Dominos in the US, you’ll get a lot more than those enjoying a slice of pizza in Britain.
The buffalo chicken pizza in the US contains 27 ingredients in the grilled chicken topper alone, compared to six ingredients in the UK version.
While consuming a large pizza is certainly not diet-friendly, the American version contains 700 more calories than in Britain, with 2,720 calories compared to Britain’s 2,028.