Chlorinated chicken[edit]
In the United States it is common practice for chicken carcasses to be washed with antimicrobial rinses in order to remove harmful bacteria.
These rinses, containing
chlorine dioxide solution, acidified
sodium chlorite,
trisodium phosphate or
peroxyacids, are often referred to as Pathogen Reduction Treatments. The process is said to reduce the prevalence of
salmonella from 14% to 2%. Since 1997, the European Union has refused to permit the import of chicken treated in this way, claiming that it compensates for poor hygiene behaviour elsewhere in the supply chain and disincentivises the poultry industry to put in place proper hygiene practices. American negotiators say this is just
protectionism.
[48] It is claimed by opponents of
Brexit that this shows how British food safety standards would drop. UK International Trade Secretary
Liam Fox was said to have suggested that this might be part of a bilateral free trade agreement and was subsequently challenged to eat a chlorine-washed chicken live on camera.
[49] Steve Baker, formerly a Minister at the
Department for Exiting the European Union, insisted in October 2018 that chlorine-washed chicken was just "clean chicken".
[50]