This beloved Thanksgiving food staple is banned in other countries because of 2 ingredients linked to cancer

A popular Thanksgiving side dish that’s served in millions of homes every year is banned across Europe — and not because Europeans are just so jealous of our tasty holiday spread.Stove Top Stuffing, the instant boxed mix that’s cemented itself as a must-have accompaniment for turkey, contains two ingredients that are off limits in many developed countries.A doctor told The Post that the ingredients are known human carcinogens and may cause other health problems as well — and they’re actually in a lot more foods than people realize.Invented by Ruth M.Siems and introduced by General Foods in 1972, the Stove Top Stuffing recipe was so unique that it was patented — and it quickly became a fan favorite.

A Kraft Foods spokesperson told the New York Times in 2005 that it sells 60 million boxes of it every year at Thanksgiving.The turkey version is a mix of bread, high fructose corn syrup, salt, onion, turkey, celery and parsley — and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), two man-made chemicals used as flavor enhancers and food preservatives to extend shelf life.And though BHA and BHT are totally legal in the US — and in fact show up in countless processed foods like snacks, cereal, processed meats, gum and butter — they’re banned in the UK, the EU, and Japan.BHA, in particular, is recognized as a carcinogen, even in the United States — meaning it’s known to increase cancer risk.“A lot of countries have much stricter rules around what’s allow in food,” Dr.Neha Pathak, MD, who serves on WebMD‘s Medical Team, told The Post.

She compared the US’s approach to food ingredients as “innocent until proven guilty.”However, she added, there’s growing evidence that BHA and BHT are harmful, with an increased cancer risk being at the top of the list of concerns.“These types of preservatives are banned in the European Union, and mostly it’s because of the cancer risk,” she said.“The cancer risk is something ...