I am a European who happens to work in the US food industry. You'd be surprised.

Definitely anything is better than the US and China in terms of regulation, but the differences we all find between Europe and the US are more closely related to the way distribution is handled than to what's allowed and not.

Europe is A LOT denser, and our distribution is A LOT better in all senses. We have better cold chain, better infrastructure, better central markets... We have quicker access to better food that doesn't need to travel in a truck for a week before it gets to the first distribution hub.

Second, and very important too, culturally speaking, we simply eat more whole foods and cook more than Americans do.