There are a lot of differences in food. Milk for instance. In the states the majority milk has BGH ( bovine growth hormone ). You can find some without, but it will cost more. It is illegal in Canada and Europe.
Another difference is the use of corn syrup in the U.S. We use it too, but not to the same degree. For example our Coca Cola is made with sugar, theirs with corn syrup.
I was shopping the other day and needed sweet italian sausage and hot italian sausage. The first store, a large chain, had a U.S. brand. Both sausages contained corn syrup. I could understand using a sweetener for the sweet one, but both? I didn't buy it and later bought a local brand that had no corn syrup or any sweetener of any kind in the hot, they did list sugar in the sweet one though. I'm sure you can buy non corn syrup sausages in the U.S. but I still found it's use odd.
A drink by the same name is not the same in both countries. Smirnoff Ice. In the U.S. it is malted beverage and contains no vodka. In Canada it is made with vodka. Don't like either though.
Can't buy Shreddies in the U.S. either.
On a more general note, i find even in some of the bigger U.S. cities their grocery stores have a smaller scale of choices when it comes to international and ethnic foods. It seems I'm always referred to a " specialty " store when looking for items that are on most Canadian store shelves.
Cheese. Again the average supermarket in the U.S. seems only to stock U.S. cheese. I have seen some good selection in smaller grocery stores like Zupan's in Oregon, but that could be regarded as a specialty shop. I once counted over 100 varities of cheese from all over the world at a regular suburban grocery store, outside of Vancouver. In the U.S. you can't however find any unpasteurized cheese that is under 60 days old since they aren't allowed to import it. In Canada we had the same restriction, but now there are certain Quebec cheeses and some from France that are under 60 days of maturing and are allowed.Not a big deal, but a friend who works in Vancouver with cheese says that Americans come up to buy. Again not big deal for most, unless you are a cheese-aholic
Lastly, chocolate. The requirements for what can be called chocolate differ from country to country. I found this interesting, and answers the question why I find some U.S. chocolate waxy tasting. I wonder if this is why the term candy bar is prevalent in the U.S. whereas we use chocolate bar. Also the lobbying mentioned below is worrisome. I'd hate to see them succeed in case it influenced our own chocolate industry.
United States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the naming and ingredients of cocoa products:[6][7]
Product Chocolate Liquor Milk Solids Sugar Cocoa Fat Milk Fat
Milk Chocolate ≥ 10% ≥ 12%
Sweet Chocolate ≥ 15% < 12%
Semisweet or Bittersweet (Dark) Chocolate ≥ 35% < 12%
White Chocolate ≥ 14% ≤ 55% ≥ 20% ≥ 3.5%
I
n March 2007, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, whose members include Hershey's, Nestlé, and Archer Daniels Midland, began lobbying the FDA to change the legal definition of chocolate to allow the substitution of "safe and suitable vegetable fats and oils" (including partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) for cocoa butter in addition to using "any sweetening agent" (including artificial sweeteners) and milk substitutes.[8] Currently, the FDA does not allow a product to be referred to as "chocolate" if the product contains any of these ingredients.[9] To work around this restriction, products with cocoa substitutes are often branded or labeled as "chocolatey."
[edit]Canada
The legislation for cocoa and chocolate products in Canada is found in Division 4 of the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), under the Food and Drugs Act (FDA). The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the FDR and FDA (as it relates to food).[10]
Product Cocoa Butter Milk Solids Milk Fat Fat-Free Cocoa Solids Cocoa Solids
Milk Chocolate ≥ 15% ≥ 12% ≥ 3.39% ≥ 2.5% ≥ 25%
Sweet Chocolate ≥ 18% < 12% ≥ 12% ≥ 30%
Chocolate, Bittersweet Chocolate, Semi-sweet Chocolate or Dark Chocolate ≥ 18% < 5% ≥ 14% ≥ 35%
White Chocolate ≥ 20% ≤ 14% ≥ 3.5%
The use of cocoa butter substitutes in Canada is not permitted. Chocolate sold in Canada cannot contain vegetable fats or oils.[11]
The only sweetening agents permitted in chocolate in Canada are listed in Division 18 of the Food and Drug Regulations.[12] Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, etc.) are not permitted.
Products manufactured or imported into Canada that contain non-permitted ingredients (vegetable fats or oils, artificial sweeteners) cannot legally be called “chocolate” when sold in Canada. A non-standardized name such as “candy” must be used.[11]
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