What is Chlorinated Chicken?
Chlorinated chicken refers to poultry washed with chlorinated water during processing. Chlorine washing is commonly used in the US to reduce bacterial contamination on chicken carcasses. While chlorine rinsing may improve food safety, farm animal experts at the RSPCA are concerned about its potential to compensate for lower animal welfare standards and its effects on the environment.
Is UK chicken chlorinated?
No, chlorine-washing chicken is banned in the UK. Pathogen Reduction Treatment, as it is also known, is part of the final preparation process. This is done to treat high levels of bacteria, which can be a symptom of poor hygiene and low animal welfare practices, many of which are not permitted in UK farming. Standards required by EU legislation reduce the risk and, therefore, eliminate the need to chemically rinse chicken before it is eaten.
Does the UK import chlorinated chicken?
In the UK, we have chlorine-free chicken. Chicken washed in chlorine, and other US imports like hormone-injected beef, are currently banned in the UK. In the past, the government announced they would not negotiate to remove that ban in a trade deal. This does not constitute a legal ban, however, so chlorinated chicken could be imported at some point in the future.
Why is chlorinated chicken banned in the EU?
Chlorinated chicken is banned in both the UK and the EU due to concerns over animal welfare and its potential to mask poor hygiene standards. Less stringent welfare standards used by American farmers during rearing can lead to unsavoury conditions which chlorine washing then compensates for.
Members of the EU have refused to accept chlorine-treated poultry imports since 1997, claiming that chemical washing is a quick fix covering up for lower treatment standards, including lower animal welfare standards. This is representative of the higher priority placed on animal welfare standards and ensures higher hygiene standards throughout the food production process.
The legal barriers preventing the import of chlorinated chicken are rooted in EU law, which prohibits chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef. These regulations are in place to protect consumers and uphold higher standards of food safety and animal welfare.
What chicken processing is permitted by EU standards?
Under EU regulations, processors can only use cold air and water to decontaminate poultry carcasses. The ‘farm to fork’ principle of the EU aims to ensure higher hygiene standards across all stages of production, rather than a cover-all final disinfection method.
In the UK, we have strict regulations focusing on the welfare of the chickens throughout their lives. These include limiting the number of birds that can be kept together and ensuring that there is adequate ventilation.
The RSPCA goes even further, by only permitting the use of slower-growing, higher welfare breeds, providing chickens with more space than required by law and insisting on environmental enrichments such as perches, hay bales, and objects to peck at. These standards also require that indoor chickens have access to natural daylight and that free-range chickens have adequate shade and shelter outdoors.
Is chicken washed in chlorine safe to eat?
It’s not surprising to hear that US regulators are largely unequivocal in their verdict that chlorinated chicken is perfectly safe to eat, pointing out that the EU approves of the same methods to wash fruit and veg, for example. In fact, the European Food Safety Regulator examined the use of chlorine treatment and was in agreement with the USDA, that “chemical substances in poultry are unlikely to pose an immediate or acute health risk for consumers”.
While US chlorine-washing methods can help manage pathogens like salmonella and campylobacter, the EU argues that poorer hygiene standards elsewhere in the process are a health concern, and chlorine-washing is being used to cover up for lower production standards on the whole.
What are the health risks of chlorinated chicken?
The safety of chlorinated chicken is still a subject of debate. While the European Food Safety Authority has said that exposure to chlorine residues on chicken in the amounts we would consume ‘would be of no safety concern’, issues over its effectiveness and the long-term health impacts remain.
There are also environmental concerns since the use of these antimicrobial chicken rinses can lead to the formation of chloroorganic compounds. Repeated absorption of these compounds can lead to them building up in living organisms and potentially having negative effects.
What impact could chlorinated chicken have on the UK poultry industry?
Higher welfare standards in the UK often result in higher production costs. Allowing cheaper, lower-welfare chicken from the US to enter the UK market could undercut British farmers. The introduction of chlorinated chicken could create confusion and reduce consumer trust in food labelling and standards, in turn, leading to a decline in overall food quality standards.
What is RSPCA Assured's stance on chlorinated chicken?
We understand why people are concerned about chlorinated chicken finding its way onto UK dinner tables one day. The RSPCA is deeply concerned that the practice of chlorine-washing chicken could lower farm welfare standards in the UK.
RSPCA Assured believes in maintaining the higher animal welfare standards we’ve established in the UK. We agree with the EU that the surest way to fight salmonella and other bacteria in foods is through higher welfare standards maintained from farm to fork. While we don’t have any chlorinated chicken in the UK at the moment, the best way to support British farmers, now and in the future, and to be sure you are buying higher welfare meat, fish, eggs and dairy is to look for the RSPCA Assured logo when you shop.