6 Secret Fast Food Options Available ONLY in the UK

Despite my best efforts, I can’t help but blame our nation’s poor health habits on federal legislation governed by big business.

Case in point: fast food in the UK.

Did you know that McDonald’s offers organic milk in its London locations and doesn’t even have chocolate milk on the menu there?

Let’s not forget the sizing differences alone! In the UK, a large chocolate milkshake at McDonald’s is 16.9 ounces as opposed to the 22 ounce option we get here at home.

The cherry on top (quite literally) is that the UK understands that a large milkshake doesn’t need an added dose of sugars and fats. Not only does an American Mcdonald’s milkshake come with whipped cream, but the ingredients in their milkshake alone is 33% higher in sugar content than in the United Kingdom.

Sure, the menu of UK Mcdonald’s is still rife with terribly unhealthy food, but at least they have some sense of where to draw the line.

The difference is that the American economy relies so heavily on the profits of big food and chemical manufacturing companies to survive. So much so that the government has its hands tied and major conglomerates control the very department in charge of our health so they can put profits ahead of our health.

The Institute of Medicine and The National Research Council have gone on the record to say that “Americans are sicker and die younger than other people in wealthy countries.”

Here is a list of 6 (that we know about) differences between major fast food chains serving items in America to those served in other wealthy countries:

1. Mcdonald’s

Apart from the milkshake methods, the UK offers healthy options like pineapple and carrot sticks on their menu that are not available in America. Furthermore, the almighty french fry, a staple to the McDonald’s meal menu is fried with healthier oils overseas.

Even the consistent items are not consistent. The oil used in the UK does not contain TBHQ which is a derivative of butane (yep, like the gas) nor the anti-foaming agent dimethylpolysiloxane. Not a very recognizable ingredient, but it’s used in silly putty if that helps paint an appetizing picture for you.

2. Pizza Hut

Remember the days when Pizza Hut offered unlimited fresh salad with your meal? It’s okay if you don’t because that has been long gone from the menu in America. Consumers still have that healthy option at the Pizza Hut locations across the UK though.

The pizza itself is different too. Ordering a large pepperoni lover’s pizza in the UK will cost you 16 grams of sugar. Here in the land of the free, the same size and style of pizza will run you 40 grams of sugar. Sweet, sweet profits indeed.

3. Starbucks

Sorry if you’re a fan, but Starbucks products are only making you unhealthy. Their newest sensation, the Pumpkin Spiced Latte uses known carcinogens for the caramel colored topping here in the US. However, it somehow produces an equally as successful product in the UK without those chemicals. Instead, they achieve the color by using beta carotene, a natural derivative of carrots.

4. Subway

Marketers have succeeded in spinning Subway restaurants as a healthy option, but the fact is their food is just as processed and bad for you as all the other fast food joints. The exact same ham sandwich available in Subways in the UK has 56% less sugar than the American version. Yeah, sugar in a ham sandwich. Gross.

5. Krispy Kreme

It’s no secret that donuts are bad for you, but why are the Krispy Kremes served stateside that much worse than their UK counterparts? This is the one time that American serving size is actually smaller and yet it doesn’t make a difference. A plain American Krispy Kreme has 52% more sugar than the same menu item in England.

6. Taco Bell

Last, but certainly not least, is Taco Bell. Putting aside the obvious questionable meat sourcing in American locations, this fast food empire is drastically different overseas. For starters they won’t even give Cinnabon the option of selling in UK locations. And those giant Mountain Dew Baja frozen drinks? They don’t exist over there either.