Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, Popular in the US, Is Illegal in South Korea

CNN
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One of America’s most popular exports is illegal in South Korea: Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning mix.

This blend, popular with influencers and regularly spotted in recipes on TikTok, contains salt, minced garlic, sesame seeds and poppy seeds – the latter of which are banned in South Korea.

Travelers arriving at Seoul’s Incheon Airport (ICN) have recently reported seeing signs specifically stating that Everything But the Bagel seasoning mix is ​​not permitted.

A poster on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared a poster from the airport. The sign carried a photo of the seasoning mix and read in Korean: “We would like to inform you that the following products containing poppy seeds cannot be imported into the country because ‘Papaver Somniferum L,’ an ingredient in the poppy family designated as a narcotic substance under the South Korean Narcotics Control Act, has been detected.”

“Seeds containing narcotic substances have always been banned in Korea. Recently, customs have stepped up their crackdown on narcotics-related items,” an airport representative told CNN.

The poppy plant is a vital source of the same compounds found in painkillers like codeine and morphine as well as street drugs like heroin, although the seeds themselves contain no opiates.

Recently, a blogger from Korean website Naver posted an article about his experience returning Trader Joe’s products from the United States to South Korea.

In a post published on July 14, the blogger reported that she had brought back 20 bottles of the condiment, which she had heard about online. However, the bottles came off the baggage carousel with a yellow padlock, and she had to talk to airport officials to explain why she had brought the banned items into the country.

“There appears to be some confusion,” she wrote, adding that other people on her flight also had their goods confiscated.

“Eventually I gave up the seasoning bottles and got laid off,” she concluded.

And South Korea isn’t the only country imposing restrictions on poppy seeds.

In Singapore, the seeds are officially classified as “prohibited goods” by the Central Narcotics Bureau, but people who want to bring them into the country – whether as seeds or food products – can apply for an exemption from the country’s Health Sciences Authority.

Last year, the Pentagon issued a warning to members of the military that consuming poppy seeds could result in a positive drug test.

“As a precautionary measure, I believe that the protection of service members and the integrity of the drug testing program require a warning to avoid poppy seeds,” the memo reads.

Experts say it would be virtually impossible to eat enough poppy seeds to feel euphoric.

“Poppy seeds do not contain enough opiates to intoxicate you,” according to an article published by the University of Florida School of Medicine. “But because drug tests are extremely sensitive, eating certain poppy seed food products can cause positive urine drug tests for opiates—particularly morphine, codeine, or both.”

East Asian countries often have strict drug laws and long prison sentences for offenders. Singapore, for example, still has the death penalty for drug trafficking offences, including marijuana.

Last year, Hong Kong declared CBD (cannabidiol) a “dangerous drug” along with heroin and fentanyl. CBD is a chemical found in hemp and marijuana plants. It’s non-psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you high. Instead, CBD is often marketed for everything from pain and inflammation relief to stress and anxiety reduction.

Trader Joe’s is a grocery store chain founded in California with more than 500 locations across the United States.

In a 2023 survey, Trader Joe’s customers ranked Everything But the Bagel Seasoning as one of their favorite products.