Ritz crackers are an American classic. These salty, buttery discs have been around since 1935, and are a great delivery system for a slice of cheese, a dollop of hummus, or some guacamole. They're also pretty tasty on their own. Showing up to a party with a tray of Ritz crackers and some toppings is always a good call. But outside of the United States? You won't be able to find them, at least in some countries. They're just not available. Why is that? There's one offending ingredient, which you'd never know was a problem otherwise. Here's why Ritz crackers are banned in other countries.
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00:00When it comes to snacks, Ritz Crackers may be at the top of your list. These versatile
00:04crackers are great to dip in hummus or guacamole, top with cheese or deli meat, or pop in your
00:10mouth just as they are. If you attend a party or a gathering, it's easy to grab a box of
00:14Ritz Crackers and a dip, and you'd be all set to contribute something delicious to the
00:18festivities.
00:19There's no denying that these salty crackers are popular and have been since Nabisco launched
00:24them in 1935, according to Food & Wine. Ritz Crackers are the third leading cracker brand
00:29in the United States with sales of $485.6 million, Statista reported.
00:36Whether you are shopping at your local supermarket or in the grocery aisles of big-box stores
00:40like Walmart or Target, Ritz Crackers are easy to get your hands on. It may come as
00:44a big surprise that if you visit certain countries and head to the snack aisle to grab a pack,
00:49you won't be able to find them.
00:51It is debatable whether Ritz Crackers are a healthy snack, but the reason some countries
00:55do not allow Ritz Crackers to be sold has to do with the ingredients list and how they
00:59are made.
01:00The problematic ingredient is partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. It is a type of trans fat
01:05that is not allowed in food products in many European countries, including Austria, Denmark,
01:10Hungary, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. However, it is not only prohibited abroad,
01:15but in some regions in the United States, too.
01:18Trans fats are created during the refinement process of vegetable oils that turn them into
01:22a colorless and non-odor-producing oil, according to the Environmental Working Group. The group
01:27noted,
01:28"[The processed food industry considers refining essential to improve the oil's sensory value
01:33and to make the oils more versatile and interchangeable."
01:36According to NPR, food companies depend on hydrogenated oils because it increases products'
01:41shelf life and helps ingredients mix well together.
01:44Trans fats are known to be unhealthy. According to the University of California, Davis, trans
01:49fats increase low-density lipoproteins, a type of cholesterol known to be bad for the
01:54body. Low-density lipoproteins can build up in the bloodstream and block arteries. It
01:59can also increase the possibility of cardiovascular disease.
02:02In 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration determined that many partially hydrogenated
02:07oils are not safe to consume. The FDA said that removing the oils from processed foods
02:13could prevent many heart attacks and deaths each year.
02:16Say goodbye to trans fat, America."
02:18Despite stating the dangers of partially hydrogenated oils in food products, the FDA has provided
02:23several extensions for food companies to get rid of the harmful substance, and the final
02:28date was set for January 2020. However, there is not any updated info on the FDA's website,
02:33and the official website for Ritz Crackers still shows partially hydrogenated oils listed
02:38as an ingredient.
02:39You can't always rely on the nutrition label of your favorite snack food, because there
02:43are loopholes that allow food manufacturers to state a food product has zero trans fat,
02:48even if it still contains it. If you're scratching your head how this is possible, it is because
02:52food products that have less than half a gram per serving of trans fat can be labeled as
02:57having zero. It is a problematic loophole that benefits giant food companies, not the
03:02consumer, and allows them to mislead and mislabel products.
03:06Not only are they misleading, but it can be harmful to the person who may not pay attention
03:09to the actual serving size, or eats various foods that claim zero trans fats because they
03:14can be consuming a lot of trans fat unknowingly. It can all add up, quickly. The Environmental
03:20Working Group took a strong stance against it, stating,
03:23"...trans fat is ubiquitous in the food supply thanks to decades of lax regulations and it's
03:28dangerous."
03:29So next time you go to reach for a box of Ritz, you may want to reconsider if you really
03:32want to eat these crackers.