27/06/2020
🐔 Firstly, chlorinated chicken refers to chicken that has been washed with chlorine. Chicken carcasses are dipped in chlorine solutions prior to packaging.⠀
⠀
💦 Washing chicken in chlorine is said to decrease bacteria and therefore minimise the risk of food poisoning from Salmonella. There is some speculation over the effectiveness of chlorine washes in preventing cases of food poisoning. There is a lack of evidence on the risks and benefits of chlorine washed chicken.⠀
⠀
❌ This process is banned in Europe and subsequently in the UK, therefore you won’t find chlorinated chicken for sale in the EU that has been chlorine washed. In the US however, this practice is common and is also Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved.⠀
⠀
🇪🇺 The EU have banned the chlorine washing practice due to concerns regarding the possible formation of by-products when the chlorine breaks down.⠀
⠀
‼️ Other sources have claimed that using practices such as chlorine washing could indicate poor hygiene standards and poor animal welfare. In the US welfare standards are lower, for example, they don’t have to include windows in their sheds or clean out in between flocks.⠀
⠀
🇺🇲 As the US want to set-up a trade deal with the UK after Brexit. One of the sticky points in this deal is that the UK would have to drop its food standards to accept chlorinated chicken from the US, which may or may not be labelled to inform consumers.⠀
⠀
🤞🏻 As it stands chlorinated chicken is banned in the EU and I hope the UK does not compromise on food standards by accepting an inferior product post Brexit.⠀
⠀
