Which? responds to British concerns over chlorinated chicken being dismissed by US official

Caroline Normand, Which? Director of Policy, said:

“The problem with chlorinated chicken and similar treatments is that they are too often used as a desperate attempt to make up for widespread safety problems in the US food production process, which can leave bacteria like salmonella to run rampant.

“These lax standards are one of the reasons why the rate of people suffering from foodborne disease in the US is around 10 times higher than in Britain – and why British consumers are united in their opposition to lowering food standards as part of any future trade deal.

“Brexit is an opportunity to design a joined up food and farming policy that ensures food is produced to the highest standards – the nation’s health needs must not be used as a bargaining chip that could be given away to facilitate trade.”

Notes to editors:

• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around one in six Americans (around 48 million people) suffer from foodborne diseases every year. The equivalent figure in Britain is around one in 60 (one million cases a year according to the Food Standards Agency’s estimate).
• Which? set out four key consumer tests for a future UK-US trade deal in a report on UK trade negotiations with the US, published last year.

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