Weirdest Food Laws From Around The World

1. Belgium: you CAN throw sprouts at tourists

Image source: Reddit

In Belgium, it's not illegal to throw Brussel sprouts at tourists. This is written in law, making it by far one of the weirdest food laws from around the world. The law only applies if the tourist is insulting a local. In this case, feel free to start throwing sprouts.

2. France: banned ketchup from schools

Image source: Reddit

There's absolutely no ketchup allowed in French schools, which came as a real blow to French students as it is one of the most popular condiments worldwide. But France officially banned ketchup from schools as it was seen as an Americanization, which could take away from French food and its culture!

3. Australia: don't crush a beer can between your breasts

Image source: Reddit

You heard it right. Apparently, there's a certain way you can crush a beer can in Australia, or at least, there's a certain way you can't - which is between your breasts. An Australian woman found this out the hard way when she found herself receiving a penalty for her trick.

4. New Jersey: don't even think about slurping your soup

Image source: Reddit

We can totally get on board with this law in New Jersey which states that you absolutely cannot slurp your soup out loud in public. It's seen as a nuisance to other members of the public, and it's true! Anyone who has experienced this will undoubtedly agree.

5. Singapore: no chewing gum allowed

Image source: Reddit

In Singapore, they made the decision to ban chewing gum by law. And it makes total sense as chewing gum becomes a huge problem on the streets when people spit it out and it cannot be removed. So banning it altogether means that it's illegal to buy and sell it...and chew it!

6. Scotland: no keeping cows if you're drunk

Image source: Reddit

In Scotland, there's a law that you cannot be in charge of a cow if you are inebriated. You can see why this would pose a problem, a drunk person in charge of a huge animal. But it does make you wonder what happened in the first instance to get this written into law.

7. Italy: you're not allowed to snack near the Cathedral

Image source: Reddit

In Florence, you are not allowed to eat on the streets, particularly near churches, holy buildings, or even any cultural monuments. This is to keep the city looking clean and respectable. So if you want to eat your gelato or arancino on the cathedral steps, think again.

8. Georgia: tuck into fried chicken with hands only!

Image source: Reddit

Georgia is the pinnacle of fried chicken, and they want everybody to enjoy it how it should be enjoyed which is getting stuck in with your hands. So, they decided that it should become a law not to allow cutlery when you are eating fried chicken, hands only!

9. Thailand: dropping chewing gum results in a hefty fine

Image source: Reddit

Along similar lines to Singapore, laws have been created to prevent chewing gum from becoming a huge problem littering the streets. So if you spit out your gum you could receive a penalty of up to $600. So it's super important to put it straight into the bin.

10. San Francisco: don't purposefully drop your snacks

Image source: Reddit

San Francisco has officially outlawed dropping food to feed the pigeons. This is because pigeons are already a problem due to it being such a huge, populated city where pigeons swoop to pick up leftovers. To not make the problem worse, people are prevented from feeding them or intentionally dropping food.

11. Nigeria: you can't import or make beer, but you can drink it

Image source: Reddit

There's a law in Nigeria that you cannot import beer, and it is also illegal to brew in Nigeria, yet you are allowed to drink it. The reasoning behind being allowed to drink it doesn't exactly make much sense. But the law states that if you do manage to find beer, you can by all means drink it.

12. Brazil: watermelon is completely banned

Image source: Reddit

In Brazil, watermelon is completely illegal. So you can't have a slice of refreshing watermelon to cool you down. It's against the law and it will also be very difficult to find a watermelon to buy in the first place because the law states it cannot be sold!

13. Alaska: don't give beer to a moose

Image source: Reddit

In the state of Alaska, it is illegal to give beer to a moose. Again, this is probably not something you'd think of trying. However, it has been done before, hence why it was necessary to put a law in place to officially make it illegal and let people know that this is NOT a good idea.

14. Bolivia: married women are limited to only one glass of wine

Image source: Reddit

There's very much an archaic law still in existence in Bolivia that states that married women are only allowed to have one glass of wine. This is purely because the law did not want married women to be influenced by alcohol into cheating on their husbands. As for married men, they can drink what they like!

15. Louisiana: sending surprise pizzas to someone is illegal

Image source: Reddit

You may wonder what strange kind of law stops people from sending other people pizza. But, in Louisiana, it is illegal to send someone a pizza without their agreement, it is classed as a form of harassment if a pizza is sent to an address without their permission, which they then have to pay for!

16. Southeast Asia: you can't carry a durian fruit in public

Image source: Reddit

Durian fruits are one of the stinkiest fruits ever, so much so that in Southeast Asia they made it illegal to carry a durian fruit in public. The smell is so bad that it can cause a disturbance to the public. And so if you want to eat this smelly fruit, you have to do so at home.

17. Connecticut: a pickle's gotta bounce

Image source: Reddit

This is definitely one of the weirdest food laws from around the world. In Connecticut, a pickle can only be classed as a pickle if it really bounces. That's the legal definition of a pickle, and if a pickle doesn't bounce...you cannot call or sell it as such!

18. Denmark: all water is free

Image source: Reddit

There's a very admirable law in Denmark that means everybody can get access to water free. You are not allowed to sell water at a restaurant unless it's flavored. This stops people from having to pay a premium for water when people should be allowed to have it for free.

19. Britain: it's actually illegal to get drunk in a pub

Image source: Reddit

It sounds ironic that a pub is intended as a place where you go to be served alcohol, or any beverage you like, but its initial purpose was a place licensed for alcohol. So it seems strange that you aren't allowed to get drunk there. It's very difficult to enforce.

20. Scotland: you're not allowed to handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances

Image source: Reddit

What exactly does it mean not to handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances? Well, that much isn't clear. But it's against the law nonetheless. Salmon in Scotland is held in extremely high regard and their salmon is considered some of of the finest in the world!

21. Alabama: don't carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket

Image source: Reddit

In Alabama, it is illegal to carry an ice cream in your back pocket. This law results from horse theft when it used to be a problem. People would put a cone in their back pocket which would mean that the horse followed them which would result in horse theft.

22. Canada: beer and lobster don't go together

Image source: Reddit

It has been decided in California that beer and lobster do not go together. It's something that people felt so strongly about it was decided that this would be created into a law. So don't think that you can order lobster with a beer to drink altogether, although the law isn't upheld so strictly.

23. Japan: canned fruits have to be a specific size

Image source: Reddit

Who knew canned fruits could be held to such strict rules and regulations? In Japan, there are laws surrounding the size and length of the fruits which are allowed to be canned or tinned. So there is a precise size, if it doesn't meet the measurement it; 's not allowed in the can.

24. United Kingdom: eating in the Houses of Parliament is banned

Image source: Reddit

In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament, which seems ridiculous considering this isn't something you could help or foresee. But under this rule is the rule of not being allowed to eat inside the Houses of Parliament, in case this contributed to someone's last breath.

25. Taiwan: chopsticks cannot be too short or too long

Image source: Reddit

Chopsticks in Taiwan have to be an exact length. It is illegal for them to be too short or too long. One of the reasons is that if chopsticks are too long, they could end up disturbing or hurting another table nearby at a restaurant for example, or the person sitting next to you.

26. Australia: don't eat in the sea, it could attract sharks

Image source: Reddit

In Australia, in certain places or beaches, there are strict rules that make it illegal to consume any food in the sea. This is in the hopes that it does not help to attract the attention of sharks, to try and keep shark attacks to a minimum, and not help create an appealing environment.

27. Bangladesh: the export of jackfruit is illegal

Image source: Reddit

Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh, and it is very highly revered. So much so that it is illegal to export the fruit. Any jackfruits that are collected each year are kept solely in Bangladesh, for the Bangladesh people to eat rather than sending it to other countries.

28. New York City: there can be no salt shakers on tables

Image source: Reddit

In New York City it has recently been written into law that there is not allowed to be any salt shakers put into the table unless requested. This is to try and help tackle problems with health and weight. The law hopes that the slight inconvenience will deter people from using excess salt.

29. Germany: no single-use take-out coffee cups

Image source: Reddit

Germany has implemented a law that many other countries should be following. They have banned single-use coffee takeout cups, to try and help tackle to use of plastics and the climate crisis. Instead of using wasteful cups, people can bring in a reusable cup instead.

30. Canada: raw milk cannot be sold

Image source: Reddit

In Canada, as well as some other countries, raw milk is not allowed to be sold for consumption. Only pasteurized milk is allowed to be sold. This is a decision by the health department to try and stop bacteria or diseases from being passed through the milk.