Germany has regulations for food that are much more demanding than those of the US, so there isn’t much that fast food restaurants can do to cut costs in Germany aside from the order touchscreens and such.

Here’s an example.

Excerpt about additives:

Believe it or not, big name food brands often adjust their ingredients in European countries compared to their products released in the United States. Certain ingredients that are illegal in Europe are still allowed, and commonly used, in the United States. The following eight common ingredients are approved in the U.S. but  banned by the European Union or select European states.

• rBGH (rBST) 

  • Common foods: Milk and yogurt
  • Purpose: Injected into cows to boost milk production

• Ractopamine

  • Common foods: Pork, beef, and turkey
  • Purpose: Increases lean muscle near the end of an animal’s life

• Potassium bromate (bromated flour)

  • Common foods: Hamburger and hot dog buns, and packaged baked goods
  • Purpose: Makes bread fluffier and whiter

• Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)

  • Common beverages: Sports drinks and sodas
  • Purpose: Keeps flavor from floating to the surface

• Olestra 

  • Common foods: Fat-free chips
  • Purpose: Substitutes fat

• Azodicarbonamide

  • Common foods: Frozen dinners, pasta mix, and packaged baked goods
  • Purpose: Bleaches flour rapidly

• Coloring agents (Red #40, Yellow #6, Yellow #5, and Blue #1)

  • Common foods/beverages: Cake mix, candy, soda, and sports beverages
  • Purpose: Changes food color

• BHA and BHT

  • Common foods/beverages: Gum, cereal, vegetable oil, butter, and beer
  • Purpose: Makes food last longer

And these additive ingredients expand past the EU into the United Kingdom. For example, the American version of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is entirely different from Kraft’s “Cheesey Pasta” sold in Great Britain. Take a look at the differences below.