Which? response to Liam Fox’s comments on chlorinated chicken at the Institute for Government

Caroline Normand, Which? Director of Advocacy, said:

“Liam Fox is wrong to suggest chlorinated chicken is not a food safety and standards issue. One of the reasons why foodborne disease rates are so much higher in the US is that these measures are often used as a desperate attempt to make up for widespread safety problems in food production – leaving bacteria like salmonella to run rampant.

“Our research has shown British consumers are united in their opposition to lowering food standards as part of any future trade deal – with nearly seven in 10 saying they would be uncomfortable eating chlorine-washed chicken.

“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 transatlantic trade.”

Notes to editors:

• Institute for Government – In conversation with Liam Fox
• 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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