9 Foods Banned in Idaho Grocery Stores

One of the most admirable things about Idahoans is the fact that we’re not afraid to try the unexpected, especially when it comes to food!

From finger steaks to fry sauce to ice cream potatoes, we have some quirky favorites that our out-of-state friends and relatives raise an eyebrow at the first time they visit. Those local eats quickly win them over, but they don’t top the shock factor of one infamous local delicacy - Rocky Mountain Oysters.

My whole family loves seafood, so without fail my friends that are Idaho natives try to trick my poor, gullible family from Ohio into trying them whenever the opportunity presents itself. Rocky Mountain Oysters are not seafood. They’re deep fried testicles from bulls, sheep or pigs that have been cleaned, breaded and fried until golden brown.

Some Common Idaho Foods Are Banned in Other Countries

While Rock Mountain Oysters may be a bit bizarre, as far as we know, they’re not banned in other countries. We can’t say the same about some of the items you’re regularly putting in your cart at Albertsons or WinCo.

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Twinkies are an easy, sweet treat to throw in your kids' lunch but you won’t find them for sale in Norway. The country doesn’t risk putting them on the shelves because they contain Yellow 5, an artificial coloring that’s linked to hyperactivity in kids and cancer.

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Wheat Thins aren’t made with Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT,) but Nabisco does add it to the packaging to help keep the crackers fresh. Studies show that BHT could disrupt your endocrine system and cause issues with your liver, thyroid, kidneys and blood coagulation. Due to regulations against BHT in the UK, some other parts of Europe and Japan, these crackers aren’t sold there.

9 Foods Banned in Idaho

On the flip side, the FDA does have a list of foods and ingredients banned in Idaho and throughout the rest of the United States. Some are banned because of legitimate safety concerns they pose for American consumers. Others are banned because they’re derived from endangered animals.