Food rules have changed sharply since the 1960s as federal agencies tightened safety standards and health evidence grew. That shift is easy to see in everyday pantry and fridge items that were once common in American homes. Here are 16 foods and ingredients that were kitchen staples in that era but are now banned or heavily restricted.
Raw milk and raw milk cheeses
Bob Nichols/Photographer/United States Department of Agriculture-Office of Communications-Photography Services Division/Wikimedia Commons
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed in 1987 that interstate sales of raw milk for direct human consumption were banned under federal rulemaking. Unpasteurized milk was still a familiar household item in parts of rural America during the 1960s, but national policy changed as regulators tied it to salmonella, listeria, and E. coli outbreaks.
Raw milk cheese is also restricted. FDA rules allow interstate sale only if the cheese has been aged at least 60 days at temperatures not lower than 35 degrees Fahrenheit, a standard still in force today.
Sassafras oil, tonka beans, and other old flavorings
Sassafras oil was once used in homemade root beer and old-style candies, but the FDA banned safrole, its key compound, from food in 1960 after animal studies raised cancer concerns. That date made it one of the earliest big removals from the postwar kitchen.
Tonka beans followed a similar path. The FDA has long barred their use in food because they contain coumarin, a substance linked to liver toxicity in high doses, even though chefs in countries like Brazil and France still use them under different rules.
Cyclamates, red dye limits, and color additives
Cyclamate sweeteners were widely used in diet drinks and tabletop packets in the 1960s, but the FDA banned them from food in the United States in 1969. The agency acted after studies raised cancer questions, though cyclamates remain legal in several other countries.
Food dyes have also faced tighter controls. Red No. 2 was banned in 1976, and Red No. 3 has faced major restrictions, with the FDA in January 2025 moving to revoke authorization for its use in food, according to the agency’s announcement.
Turtle soup, haggis, and imported specialties
Canned turtle soup appeared in many midcentury recipe collections, but several turtle species are now protected under state, federal, or international wildlife rules. That means meat from some species once eaten more casually is now banned from sale or heavily regulated, depending on the species and location.
Haggis is another example. Traditional Scottish haggis made with sheep lung has been barred from U.S. commerce since 1971, when the USDA enforced rules against lung as human food, leaving American versions to use substitute ingredients.
Absinthe, foie gras battles, and what shoppers see now
Absinthe was effectively banned in the United States for most of the 20th century because of thujone concerns, though regulated versions reentered the market after 2007 under federal standards. In practice, that means the old formula associated with earlier decades is still tightly controlled.
Foie gras shows how restrictions now often happen at the state or city level. California enforced a foie gras sales ban for years before court fights narrowed and reshaped it, while other jurisdictions continue debating limits, showing that some once-normal luxury foods now face location-based rules instead of nationwide bans.
