this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025

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199

EU consumers don’t trust US goods: a look into Trump’s trade deficit claims (theconversation.com)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

52 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Tariffs aside, regulations mean the EU rarely imports certain US products, such as meat and dairy.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://theconversation.com/eu-consumers-dont-trust-us-goods-a-look-into-trumps-trade-deficit-claims-249315

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

When i was living in the US because i had to for work none of their olive oil tasted like olive oil. Turns out there was a study that showed that 80% of supermarket olive oil in the US is fake.

Yeah their products are shoddy. You do not sell fake olive oil to a European. Living around the Mediterranean your whole life you learn to tell immediately when someone is fucking with your olive oil.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I mean, my italian friend was telling me how this is also done in Italy. He watched a documentary, and they were mixing olive and colza. So nothing really new. But the new deregulation of the government is worrying.

What I remember was how sweet their may was , yuk.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah, "impure" olive oil is not endemic to America. Adulterating olive oil is big business and Europe isn't immune. (Though Europe has laws on the subject that the US does not.)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Olive pil wasn't a thing on the states until the 80's. We get all the shittiest olive oil that is produced in the Mediterranean because they can sell their inferior products at a markup here.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Consumer behaviour and preferences – on both sides of the Atlantic – play a huge part in the US-EU trade relationship. A trade deficit often reflects differences in production costs and product quality. This suggests that American consumers generally prefer European products over domestic alternatives, while European consumers favour their own products over American ones. The result is a trade deficit in favour of the EU. One major contributing factor, particularly in food exports to the EU, is the bloc’s stringent regulations on agriculture, which the US has repeatedly challenged. These include rules on hygiene and pesticides (known as sanitary and phytosanitary standards, SPS) and geographical indications (GIs). Longstanding and unresolved trade disputes involving agricultural products have limited US exports to the EU, particularly in beef, poultry, and dairy products.

I prefer European imports, whenever possible, but it's rare, being in a food desert.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago (1 children)

US always had lax safety standards for food, but now with FDA being led by a nut job, it will get even worse.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

I shop at Costco Japan and I have a feeling the chicken I (soon to be used to) buy comes from the US. Thankfully, the bacon and pork are local or Canadian, the fish local, and I think the cheese is from Korea. Definitely changing my shopping habits.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's not just the EU. US safety and standards are a pathetic joke

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The times I have learned that a safety standard I have seen or had to follow was just a STATE law and not a FEDERAL LAW has been way too fucking high. But it makes me glad I'm in California and not anywhere else in the US. Just gotta make sure I don't get food from Fresno.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Meanwhile the number of times i've seen people mock CaLiFOrNiA SaFeTy RuLeS is too damned high. Jesus christ

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The idiotic "may cause cancer" labels are to blame for that. When warnings are constant and over-the-top, they get ignored. Good ideas often backfire.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the EUs version is cooking warnings

in Australia technically we have to get a licensed electrician to change a light bulb

[–] nerv 1 points 1 month ago

I can accept when it about messing with the installation but a lightbulb? Those are made to be easy to replace. It's a screw and a threaded socket, 95% of the case. Unless someone is purposefully trying to do something wrong, the risk close to none.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah even though I'm in the UK I will never eat US chicken. The reason they wash their chicken and eggs is because Salmonella is endemic to US poultry because their standards are so lax they'd rather chemical their chicken than fix the problem. 🤮

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I lived in the US and elsewhere, and I also travel. Chicken in the US is at best flavorless. Food overall is of lower quality. Even US brands and fast food chains taste better outside the US.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's not exactly that. In the US we insist on perfect, white eggs. No chicken shit or feathers, heaven forfend! Because most Americans have never touched a chicken, let alone seen one.

So we wash hell out of our eggs, which thins the shell, which makes the egg less resistant to bacteria.

Europeans understand that eggs coming from a chicken's ass sometimes have feathers and poop. Because it do be like that. So they get thicker, tougher, more resilient egg shells.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The whole trade war circus is just another pathetic narcissist circus. Trump’s tariff tantrums and the EU’s “proportionate response” reek of performative politics. Neither side cares about actual people—just protecting their fragile egos and corporate donors. The deficit numbers? Smokescreens for incompetence. The real issue is that EU consumers don’t want hormone-pumped beef or plastic cheese, and Americans prefer European engineering over their own gas-guzzling relics.

Regulatory theater on both sides masks a deeper rot. The EU’s “precautionary principle” is just protectionism with a fancy name, while the US whines about “unfairness” while subsidizing Big Ag to dump Monsanto corn globally. Neither bloc will admit their systems are broken, clinging to late-stage capitalism’s death spiral.

Trade wars won’t fix this. They’re distractions from the real crisis: a global governance model built on exploitation and denial. But hey, at least the propaganda machines on both sides get fresh content.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Your first paragraph is spot on, but you couldn't be more wrong about EU regulations. Regulating the safety of food isn't theater or protectionism, it's a common sense defense against corporate cost cutting basically poisoning the food supply like in the US.

EU gets a lot of things wrong, but having higher standards for what you're allowed to sell to consumers as food than the US does is emphatically NOT one of them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (4 children)

The EU’s so-called “higher standards” are just another layer of bureaucratic theater designed to placate its own citizens while hiding the rot underneath. Sure, they slap a fancy label on their food policies, but it’s not about protecting people—it’s about protecting markets. The precautionary principle? A shield for their agricultural lobby to keep out competition under the guise of safety.

Meanwhile, the US isn’t poisoning anyone; it’s just playing a different game of corporate greed. Both systems are broken, but let’s not pretend one is morally superior. The EU’s smugness over “standards” is laughable when they’re still importing slave-labor goods and dumping waste in Africa.

It’s all hypocrisy dressed up as policy. Don’t buy into their self-righteous propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The EU’s so-called “higher standards” are just another layer of bureaucratic theater designed to placate its own citizens while hiding the rot underneath

Absolute counterfactual nonsense.

Sure, they slap a fancy label on their food policies, but it’s not about protecting people—it’s about protecting markets.

In the case of protected origin (like how you can't call it feta if it's not from Greece and you can't call it champagne of it's not from the Champagne district etc), sure.

That's wholly separate from food safety regulations, though, which are vital for protecting the public from corporations destroying their health.

The precautionary principle? A shield for their agricultural lobby to keep out competition under the guise of safety.

Again, absolute counterfactual nonsense.

Meanwhile, the US isn’t poisoning anyone

Bullshit. Corporations are actively choosing less healthy and more addictive ingredients for their products because they're allowed to. That's not even debatable to anyone who's arguing in good faith and knows the first thing about food safety.

It's becoming increasingly clear that you're arguing in bad faith, arguing based on ignorance, arguing based on misinformation, or more than one of the above.

Both systems are broken, but let’s not pretend one is morally superior

I wouldn't say that the EU is IN GENERAL morally superior, but protecting the public from being poisoned at the whim of cost cutting corporations empirically IS morally superior to not doing so. Only corporations trying not get away with it and the truly deluded would disagree.

The EU’s smugness over “standards” is laughable when they’re still importing slave-labor goods and dumping waste in Africa

While yes, that's inarguably reprehensible, that has exactly nothing to do with food safety regulations or the lack thereof.

It’s all hypocrisy dressed up as policy

Just stfu already. That the EU does reprehensible things in other areas doesn't make the concept of food safety regulations a sham. That's obvious to any honest person not blinded by a binary world view of "either everything they do is good or everything they do is bad"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Counterfactual nonsense? That’s rich coming from someone parroting the EU’s PR like it’s gospel. You think protected origin labels are “wholly separate” from market control? Laughable. They’re literally designed to monopolize markets under the guise of tradition. Keep pretending it’s about safety while ignoring how it stifles competition.

Your corporate poisoning tirade is a joke. The EU imports the same junk, just wrapped in fancier packaging. But sure, let’s blame the US for everything while ignoring Europe’s complicity. That’s some next-level selective outrage.

And your moral superiority shtick? Hilarious. Slave labor and dumping waste don’t magically disappear because you slap a “higher standards” sticker on your policies. Hypocrisy isn’t a virtue, no matter how smugly you wear it.

As for “stfu”? Cute. Resorting to playground insults when your arguments collapse under scrutiny is exactly what I’d expect from someone out of their depth.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So, by your standards you gotta be perfect or the devil themself with no in-between?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ah, the classic false dichotomy—perfect or devil, no in-between. Convenient oversimplification for someone dodging the actual critique. Standards aren’t about sainthood; they’re about consistency. If you’re going to preach “higher values,” maybe don’t turn a blind eye to the contradictions in your own backyard.

This isn’t about moral absolutism; it’s about calling out hypocrisy masquerading as virtue. If you can’t handle that without retreating into reductive nonsense, maybe rethink engaging in a debate that demands nuance.

And while we’re at it, reducing everything to “standards” doesn’t absolve you from addressing the systemic issues behind them. But sure, keep playing the victim of impossible expectations—it’s easier than grappling with inconvenient truths.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's a whole lotta words to say yes

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh, the classic "too many words" deflection—because brevity is apparently the hallmark of intellectual rigor now? Sorry if nuance doesn’t fit into your preferred soundbite format, but some ideas require more than a monosyllabic grunt to unpack.

If you’re allergic to complexity, maybe stick to simpler conversations. But don’t mistake your inability to engage for someone else’s verbosity. Not every argument can be reduced to a meme or a quip, no matter how much you wish it could.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I've got an incense burner, you know how those work? You need a small ember to create the most smoke, much like how your vapid nonsense conceals the least important, interesting, or, yes, nuanced position this side of Twitter. You think progress doesn't exist unless we immediately go to your perfect world. No matter how you dress it up we all get exactly what you're saying.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Market control protects the euros from the despicable imperialist genocidal poison-eating yankkkkkkks

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I literally laughed at your comment, knowing that even american based food brands selling in Europe manufacture their shit in european soil with different ingredients because lots of the ones they use in USA are forbidden here.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The "user" you're responding to uses LLMs to generate comments. Look at their profile if you want to see what I mean.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I've been noticing their comments on tons of posts recently too. it's scornful and evocative, and sometimes even poetic, but ultimately it's all meaningless nonsense.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Big paragraph.

I went to Germany, and drank their beer.

It’s just. Better.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Lmao. Well, I can't argue with that

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

A shield for their agricultural lobby to keep out competition

Very important for independence

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

If you agree that the divided States of America are starting bullshit trade wars, how should the EU react in your opinion if the current way is not to your liking and only smokescreen?

Because as far as I understand, the counter tariffs are just the allowed tit for tat reaction in accordance to international trade law.

I mean yes, system change is needed to protect humanity and life on the planet, but as far as the tariffs go... I don't exactly disagree with the EU way to do it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The EU’s reaction is just as performative as the U.S.’s instigation. Tariffs are legal under international trade law, sure, but legality doesn’t equal wisdom. It’s a tit-for-tat game that ignores the systemic rot underneath. Both sides are propping up industries that should have been restructured decades ago, clinging to outdated economic paradigms.

The current system isn’t about protecting humanity or the planet—it’s about preserving power structures. The EU’s “precautionary principle” and the U.S.’s subsidy circus are just different flavors of the same poison: corporate welfare masquerading as public interest.

Real change would mean dismantling these systems, not playing within their rules. But let’s be honest—neither bloc has the stomach for that kind of upheaval. They’ll just keep trading blows while the world burns.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Should the EU just open their borders for hormone filled products and other crap? You can mock some of the EU regulations, and part of it is definitely pure protectionism, but it's generally good.

They forced every phone to use USB for charging, for example. Globally. On the downside they also forced those damn cookie banners on us.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No, let me rephrase it again, so maybe it's clearer what I want to know from you:

Let's say for arguments sake, the EU is the perfect government with perfect representation of everyone and perfect economic system to distribute to everyone's need. So the the gay space communist utopia spoken of in ye olde memes of yore.

But they don't have every necessary resource on earth and need to trade with other countries, who are not yet as advanced as they are.

Now one of those countries puts tariffs on the EU for bullshit reasons.

How should this theoretical perfect EU react to those tariffs in your opinion?

And just to be clear, I'm not happy with the current way of the EU at all, there is much change needed, but that is besides the point of my argument.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The perfect EU in your hypothetical would reject the premise of tariffs entirely. Instead of retaliating or lobbying for their removal, it would focus on rendering them irrelevant. It would invest in internal innovation, resource alternatives, and trade partnerships that bypass dependency on the offending nation. A perfect system doesn’t beg for scraps; it redefines the table.

But let’s not kid ourselves—this utopia assumes rational actors in a world where power is never ceded willingly. The reality? Even a "perfect" EU would face sabotage, propaganda, and economic warfare. The problem isn’t how it reacts to tariffs; it’s that the global system is built to punish those who refuse to play its exploitative game. Perfection wouldn’t survive in this cesspool.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thanks for your perspective.

I don't see counter tariffs as begging for scraps, but rather the easiest and quickest applied method to show that trying to force you is not without consequence and then afterwards you work on the other points your post mentioned.

And your second paragraph is exactly why I asked the question and wanted to know your view. To a certain degree you need to play the bad game, even if you know it's bad, if it's the only way to proceed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Counter tariffs may seem like the "quickest applied method," but they’re a band-aid on a gaping wound. They perpetuate the same exploitative system you’re trying to resist, reinforcing the very dynamics of coercion and retaliation. It’s not about showing consequence; it’s about breaking free from the cycle entirely. Playing the bad game, even temporarily, is still playing their game.

Your approach assumes that power respects defiance when, in reality, it thrives on it. The only way to proceed isn’t to play better but to flip the board. Anything less is just rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship. If your goal is genuine change, you don’t tweak the system—you dismantle it.

Appreciate the discussion—it’s rare to find someone willing to engage beyond surface-level noise.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Appreciate the discussion—it’s rare to find someone willing to engage beyond surface-level noise.

Same to you!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

You're just mad that you have inferior food

"Grr I can't force the euros to eat my inferior food"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is anyone else having issues with the archived link?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

It looks like nobody yet archived it. You can click archive this url to do that yourself.

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