[Food] US - Chlorine washed chicken vs chlorine washed salad

[jamie (not that one)]

I think the health impacts are made clear, and I suppose we can make that choice.

But there's another issue about protecting our own chicken farmers and their industry, because they could be caught between a rock and a hard place if chicken produced using cheaper methods floods our market. I had a google, and discovered that we produce 60% of the chicken-meat sold in the UK, whether fresh or frozen. So if our chicken farmers want to compete with the US chicken they might be forced or encouraged to change production standards and start providing chlorine-washed chicken to the UK market themselves. However, the British market mainly wants breast, but the dark meats of the leg, thigh, wing are less in demand and these primarily get exported overseas. 75% of those dark meat exports go to the EU, around £170 million-worth of exports. If the British producers want to keep exporting this dark-chicken meat to the EU they will have to conform to EU standards, i.e. no chlorine- washing.

So, a chicken farmer might have to face either losing out on breast-meat sales within Britain to cheaper-produced US imports, or losing out on dark-meat sales to the EU.

What? The UK keeps the dry boring part and sends all the tastiest bits over to the continent? I have no idea why they think we have shit food.

 

[Stat Brother]

I hope they don't use unhealthy Chlorine washed chicken:-

[tweet]1224336647912873984[/tweet]

 

[Lindfield by the Pond]

I thought the chlorinated chicken discussion was not about hygiene, but animal welfare? The faux argument about us ingesting chlorine is negated by the fact that we allow it for salad.

Chlorinated salad is ok? Chlorinated chicken is not?

I thought the reason was because there is the potential for poor animal husbandry in the US to be covered up by a chlorine wash. If there was a scheme that provided evidence for good welfare standards for US sourced chicken, then a chlorine wash is no different to the lettuce we eat daily?

 

[worthingseagull123]

I have eaten Chicken in America and have no concerns with eating US chickens in the UK.

 

[The Clamp]

I have eaten Chicken in America and have no concerns with eating US chickens in the UK.

Even if it destroys the U.K. chicken farming industry though? And you’re okay with appalling welfare standards?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

What has this got to do with [MENTION=3887]Uncle Spielberg[/MENTION]?

Lol !

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

What? The UK keeps the dry boring part and sends all the tastiest bits over to the continent? I have no idea why they think we have shit food.

You'd think, wouldn't you. Then you realise that chicken nuggets are always marketed as '100% succulent chicken breast', and you remember that we are at heart a nation of chicken nugget lovers

 

[pastafarian]

I have eaten Chicken in America and have no concerns with eating US chickens in the UK.

Bought some this morning in Publix, chemical and additive free, as was all the chicken on sale.
The EU commission tried to re-introduce chlorine washed chicken after it was banned in the EU with the proviso of extra labelling to give the consumer the informed option. The Germans and Dutch,(biggest poultry producers) stamped their feet and said no.
Nasty EU Commission obviously, not caring about food standards.

 

[Uncle C]

But what the hell does chlorinated drinking water have to do with price of cheap chicken?

You just carry on in your own parallel debate.

 

[Bakero]

You just carry on in your own parallel debate.

Parallel? I'm still trying to work out what your point was. We're all aware that drinking water has chlorine in it.

Mustafa addressed chlorine washed salad in post #2

If chlorine is to be used to disinfect salad, then for whatever reason we do not, or are unable to, take a proactive approach to keeping it safe for consumption, like we do our chickens.

I don't think many people have a real issue with chlorine being used to disinfect food - but more that the use of chlorine can be used to disguise poor hygiene at source, as it does in the states.

The main issue I have with importing chicken from the states is not the chlorine, but because of the poor animal welfare standards that means they require chlorine washing in the first place.

So it's a no thanks from me.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I am reading Bill Bryson's 'The Body' at the moment (highly recommended it, as well as all his books). He does a massive part on life expectancy, questioning why so much of the US population die earlier than there European and Asian counterparts. They are 31st in the world league of life expectancy, most is put down to the US diet the types of foods they eat.

Non-existent health care for huge swathes of the population, who can't afford insurance.
A lard arse attitude to walking anywhere.
A crap diet based on over-processed food, strangely some of the worst shit, gets welcomed with open arms over here.

Krispy Kreme donuts are an obsession for me, I detest the things and can't understand why anyone would eat them. We already have all sorts of massively better jam doughnuts.
Oreos - What is the difference between an Oreo and a Bourbon biscuit? About 80p per packet. Ignore the shiny packaging people the cheaper ones actually taste better.

I digress.

Chlorine washed chicken is a simple message that all naysayers from vegans through to the frightfully middle class, can all get behind. It allows us to play out our snobbery against all things American. If this is what three years of hand ringing over Brexit boils down to, Leavers are right to mock. It is a symptom of a much bigger more complex problem that is genuinely worth worrying about.

 

[Mr Putdown]

But we import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of battery reared chicken from Taiwan and Thailand. The majority used in the UK catering trade comes from these sources. Cafes, restaurants, fast food outlets, sandwich bars, pubs, hotels and more all use it, many unknowingly, supplied through wholesale chains. A lot of it comes in in frozen format and at source it is usually washed in chlorine. There is a high level of South American product coming in as well and their welfare standards leave a lot to be desired ( the Corned Beef scandal demonstrates this )ave been consuming this type of

The RSPCA don’t agree with you regarding the welfare standards of Thai and South American chicken farming...

“ Britain's biggest animal welfare charity said that the standards in two of the biggest poultry exporters, Thailand and Brazil, were generally higher than in basic UK production.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...st-british-production-says-rspca-2124580.html

 

[Nixonator]

Storm in a teacup again.

 

[Simster]

To recap,

It's not the chlorine itself that is the issue, it is the fact that by introducing this method allows far less hygienic practice in farming livestock.

Chlorine washed chicken is a problem because it can allow salmonella to go undetected. This is why the US has far more cases of deaths from salmonella poisoning than we have ever had here.

To those talking about not being forced to eat it, you're right. However many people will, because they are ignorant of the issue and/or cannot afford to eat anything but the cheapest food. The knock on affect will be that many UK farmers will cut corners and reduce standards so as to compete with this American crap.

In turn, those who can afford to be choosy will probably end up buying the more hygienic, EU farmed chicken that we are accustomed to. It will be a lot more expensive than the rest of it though (especially after tariffs have been applied) and we probably won't see it at all in some supermarkets because of the cost.


So clearly, multiple reasons not to want it on our shelves. I want what [MENTION=240]larus[/MENTION] thinks now...

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Non-existent health care for huge swathes of the population, who can't afford insurance.

Well this is the bit Bryson and others felt was fascinating. The appalling life expectancy in the US, has little to do with the demographic or wealth of the people that die young.

It appears it is the type of foods they eat in the U.S that is the biggest factor, whoever you are and whatever insurance you can afford.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

The rotisserie chickens in Costco always look and smell delicious, but not so sure after this - just shows that chickens are reared on an industrial basis. Will be interesting to see if there is a backlash or punters are more interested in cheap food.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/06/opinion/sunday/costco-chicken-animal-welfare.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage