11 surprising foods that have been banned in the UK

The UK government's Official Feed and Food Controls Regulations (2007) restricts the importation of "fruits of the forest" (i.e. cranberries and blueberries) from 13 countries including Albania, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Bulgaria, following the explosion at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Imports are tested to make sure they don't carry any radiation.

The same goes for mushrooms, which are particularly susceptible to radioactive fallout because they don't have roots and absorb nutrients from their surrounding atmosphere. In 2011, a ton of dried mushrooms from Bulgaria were seized and destroyed by the UK Border Agency for containing 10 times the safe levels of radioactive metal.

Aflatoxins are poisonous and cancer-causing chemicals that are produced by certain molds which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, grains and nuts. In 2016, the EU ruled that brazil nuts from Brazil need to be accompanied by a health certificate proving that they have don't contain any aflatoxins. The same restrictions also apply to nutmeg imported from Indonesia, after both countries were found to be exporting products with high levels of the toxic chemical.

India may be the home of spicy food, but the EU's fears over aflatoxins mean that imports of "caspicum annum" — or chili peppers — from the country have the same strict regulations as brazil nuts. As of January 2016, imports of fresh and dried chillies need to carry a certificate of approval.

Indian mango shipments to the EU were suspended in May 2015 after fruit flies — which posed a threat to food being farmed in the UK — were found in more than 200 packages bound for Europe, but a number of member states including the UK voted to lift the ban months later.

Fresh okra and curry leaves from India were restricted by the UK government and European Commission in 2014 over fears of pesticide residues being left on the ingredients. Then, in 2015, India's quarantine authorities stopped all okra exports to Europe until it could comply with EU regulations.

Jelly sweets are widely sold in the UK, but foods that contain konjac, konjac gum or konjac glucomannan were banned by the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Trade and Industry in 2004 because their slippery texture presents a choking hazard.

In 2008, UK and EU banned rice products after it was found they contained genetically modified organisms. Rice products from China need to be accompanied by a certificate that either proves they don't contain the unauthorised organism called "Bt 63," or don't contain rice at all.

The regulations apply to dozens of food products, from rice and rice flour to biscuits and even pizzas and quiches.

In 2013, the UK government and European Commission banned all imports of "bivalve molluscs" — such as clams, oysters, mussels, scallops — from Turkey over fears that they could contain E. coli or other biotoxins. The ban is due to be lifted on 31 December 2016.

Serving meat rare isn't illegal in the UK, but since gourmet burgers have become a popular food trend around the world, the topic has been at the centre of food safety debates.

In 2012, Westminster City Council in London tried to ban local restaurant Davy's from serving its £13.95 burgers rare. Davy’s took the case to the High Court, which could have set a legal precedent as to whether or not diners will be able to order meat rare in the rest of the UK.

The restaurant was allowed to continue serving pink burgers, and there's no outright ban on serving rare meat, but there are still concerns over meat preparation. In August 2016, the Food Standards Agency launched a food safety campaign called "Burgers aren't like Steaks," which circulated on social media emphasising how raw minced meat can contain more harmful bacteria than a regular cut.