A Popular Trader Joe's Seasoning Is Now Banned In Singapore And South Korea

Trader Joe's popular Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend is tough to keep on shelves in the U.S. because the spice blend is so popular — but it's tricky to find in Singapore for another reason. The combination of spices has been classified as a prohibited good in Singapore because it includes poppy seeds in the mixture. Poppy seeds are banned in Singapore because when the seeds are harvested from their native plant, trace amounts of opiate residue, which is illegal as part of the country's Misuse of Drugs Act, could end up in the jar. As a result, the spice blend has been removed from e-commerce websites in Singapore.

The ban comes in the wake of a similar announcement from South Korea, where Everything But The Bagel Seasoning isn't allowed, either. The country initially nixed the mixture in 2022, but started cracking down on importation of it in 2024. Seoul's Incheon Airport began posting signage specifically explaining that the seasoning is completely prohibited from being imported into the country that year. Travelers caught bringing anything containing poppy seeds into the country could have the product confiscated, be banned from leaving or entering the country, face a fine, or even end up spending time in jail.

Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend has become popular around the globe recently. The topping — which contains sesame seeds, sea salt flakes, dried minced onion and garlic, and black sesame seeds, as well as poppy seeds — has become a TikTok staple and inspired a variety of food hacks and copycat recipes for the seasoning itself. It also made it all the way to second place on Tasting Table's ranked list of Trader Joe's seasoning blends.

While fans of the grocery chain might insist everyone should buy their spices at Trader Joe's, in the case of this blend, it's impossible in South Korea and Singapore — and they aren't the only countries that suffer from a lack of poppy seed-based goodness. Poppy seeds are also verboten in countries like United Arab Emirates, China, and Saudi Arabia. Some professionals have even been cautioned against consuming food containing poppy seeds, including members of the American Armed Forces, because it could cause false positive results for codeine and other opiate byproducts in urine tests.