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A comment on Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US. Parent comment

Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by diggan on Friday June 27, 2025 @06:42AM (#44395656)
> I get the feeling that Universal Healthcare (medicare for all) would probably level the difference?

Sometimes my wife convince me to try American candy/foods that we buy in these "foreign foods stores" locally, because she grew up eating some of them in her country.

And every time we check the contents by reading the nutrition-labels or checking with apps like Yuka, it turns out that the stuff Americans put in the mouth and stomach are filled with stuff that is outright illegal to put in foods here in Europe.

So if I were to guess, it would be related to what is legal to put in foods/consumables.

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Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by jedimastert on Friday June 27, 2025 @07:20AM (#44395870)
The US ranks 3rd in quality and safety, with scores pretty similar to pretty much every European country

https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/project/food-sec...

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Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by Chris2048 on Friday June 27, 2025 @07:07AM (#44395786)
There's lots of stuff like that, the way chickens and eggs are cleaned etc.

It sometimes is annyoying though, especially around foods and medicine when something is not yet approved in Europe e.g. It's really hard to get Allulose (sugar alternative with similar properties benefitting baking); As far as I can tell it's not actually "illegal" in Europe, it's just not approved as a food, so no-one risks importing it..

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Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by astura on Friday June 27, 2025 @07:01AM (#44395753)
... Such as?
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Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by diggan on Friday June 27, 2025 @08:01AM (#44396092)
Last time I checked, these were some of the substances I found in American food/drinks/candy that are outlawed in EU:

- Titanium dioxide (E171)

- Potassium bromate

- Azodicarbonamide

- Propylparaben

I'm sure there is more, and there is probably also stuff that is banned in the US but not in Europe.

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Re:Life Expectancy in Europe Compared to the US by thrance on Friday June 27, 2025 @01:27PM (#44398616)
> what is legal to put in foods/consumables.

Which is also indirectly related to universal healthcare: since sick people cost money to the state, the government is incentivized to regulate foods more closely.

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