The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken review – Channel 4 doc

[editor]

I'll be giving this a miss, thanks.

nald Trump has come to Britain, and in honour of his state visit, Channel 4 devoted half an hour to something equally toxic that may soon follow in his wake: an invading army of chlorinated chickens.

In Dispatches: The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken, the presenter Kate Quilton travelled to the United States to investigate American poultry production. It was the kind of programme best viewed after eating. You wouldn’t be terribly hungry when it finished.
Chlorinated chicken is an emotive subject, and a slightly misleading one: as disgusting as it sounds, the chlorine itself is not the problem. American chicken doesn’t taste like a swimming pool. Most of it tastes a bit like chicken.

The problem is that the practice of chlorine washing (though sometimes other chemicals are used) is said to be a poor substitute for the hygiene measures that should take place earlier in the processing chain, but, in the US, are not legally required. For this reason, chlorinated chicken has been banned from the EU for 22 years. If and when Brexit happens, the UK may well be obliged to accept chlorinated poultry as part of any separate trade deal with the US. Agricultural exports are a priority for US negotiators – it would be difficult to make an exception for chicken.

The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken review – an instant appetite-ruiner

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I'll be giving this a miss, thanks.

Good idea, or else you'll discover that most of your fruit and veg is washed in chlorine.

 

[editor]

Good idea, or else you'll discover that most of your fruit and veg is washed in chlorine.

Did you actually read the article? There is a little bit of a difference what with chickens being slightly different to a potato.

Oh and a source for your claim that most of my veg is cleaned in chlorine please. Ta.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Did you actually read the article? There is a little bit of a difference.

Do you know why the EU banned it? In case the use of chlorine washing led to complacency in hygiene standards. Rather than just ensure hygiene standards were met the EU banned chlorine washed chicken to protect EU farmers from cheaper imports. It's all about trade protectionism and naff all to do with protecting consumer health.

 

[8ball]

Oh and a source for your claim that most of my veg is cleaned in chlorine please. Ta.

Thought it wasn't potatoes etc. but salad leaves and saladdy stuff in general is chlorine-washed in the EU sometimes.
According the programme last night...

I'm happy to let the Americans keep their food preparation and food poisoning prevalence customs.

 

[editor]

Do you know why the EU banned it? In case the use of chlorine washing led to complacency in hygiene standards. Rather than just ensure hygiene standards were met the EU banned chlorine washed chicken to protect EU farmers from cheaper imports. It's all about trade protectionism and naff all to do with protecting consumer health.

How about protecting workers' health?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

How about protecting workers' health?

In salad factories?

 

[Mr Moose]

Do you know why the EU banned it? In case the use of chlorine washing led to complacency in hygiene standards. Rather than just ensure hygiene standards were met the EU banned chlorine washed chicken to protect EU farmers from cheaper imports. It's all about trade protectionism and naff all to do with protecting consumer health.

A paultry argument.

 

[editor]

In salad factories?

Ah you want to play silly buggers. Anyway, let's crack on with your claim that most of my veg is washed in chlorine.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Realistically the chlorine side of things doesn't fucking matter. Gargle that shit if you like, whatever.

What it does suggest is that the food preparation practices of the USA are shite and that's borne out by the increased risk of salmonella highlighted in the article and the documentary. Alongside dodgy conditions for workers and animals.

 

[Mr Moose]

The workers conditions and rate of injuries are fucking appalling. US chicken really is the ultimate finger food in the worst way possible.

The clamour for a deal is rising and you seriously have to question the UK will over decades to resist US domination.

 

[8ball]

The clamour for a deal is rising and you seriously have to question the UK will over decades to resist US domination.

It will start with "clear labelling rules".

 

[hash tag]

There was of course the underlying issue of animal welfare. Poor welfare can lead to more risks thus increasing the need to do even more to clean it up and stop disease spreading.
The way forward has to be better animal welfare.

 

[Teaboy]

Any free trade with the US is invariably going to be terrible for UK citizens. Its going to be horrible.

 

[Teaboy]

It will start with "clear labelling rules".

They'll be well gone, it'll be made illegal to provide clear labeling as the US will just say that's an unfair advantage against them. As I say it will be terrible in every respect.

 

[8ball]

They'll be well gone, it'll be made illegal to provide clear labeling as the US will just say that's an unfair advantage against them. As I say it will be terrible in every respect.

This sounds possibly too paranoid.

 

[hash tag]

Any free trade with the US is invariably going to be terrible for UK citizens. Its going to be horrible.

We are already big, mutual trading partners. Trade with the US could easily double, if not treble in coming years and months. They certainly don't have the animal welfare standards that Europe does. Even European standards can leave much to be desired.

 

[Teaboy]

This sounds possibly too paranoid.

No its a pretty straight forward argument to make and the US absolutely will be making it, probably backed up by most of the UK cabinet.

 

[Teaboy]

We are already big, mutual trading partners. Trade with the US could easily double, if not treble in coming years and months.

To who's benefit?

Anyway, the NHS will be where the real fun and games happen. It's going to be dire.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

 

[Dogsauce]

This sounds possibly too paranoid.

They lobbied very hard to try and stop labelling of GM foodstuffs, so would expect the same here tbh.

Edit: although now appear to have instigated gmo labelling domestically so something’s changed.

 

[The39thStep]

Anyone ever eaten chicken in the States? Notice any difference?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Anyone ever eaten chicken in the States? Notice any difference?

It tastes the same as EU chicken did until 1997.

 

[editor]

It tastes the same as EU chicken did until 1997.

How about these chlorinated spuds you were going on about?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Anyone ever eaten chicken in the States? Notice any difference?

I doubt you'll notice any difference at the point of eating it, but it'll be a right bugger when you end up dead.

US rates of campylobacter infection are 10 times higher than in the UK. The US records hundreds of salmonella deaths a year; the UK has in recent years recorded none.

 

[editor]

Just look at the fucking state of it

Workers use bare hands at 'shocking' US chlorinated chicken factory | Metro News

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

How about these chlorinated spuds you were going on about?

 

[editor]

View attachment 173273

You said that "most of my fruit and veg is washed in chlorine."

That article only mentions some "bagged salads " - which I hardly ever buy. It makes no mention of most "fruit and veg," so where are you getting that from?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

You said that "most of my fruit and veg is washed in chlorine."

That article only mentions some "bagged salads " - which I hardly ever buy. It makes no mention of most "fruit and veg," so where are you getting that from?

let me google that for you: chlorinated fruit and veg - Google Search




Yummy.

 

[8ball]

Anyone ever eaten chicken in the States? Notice any difference?

Doesn't taste like chlorine or anything.
Just slightly more likely to make to make you sick or dead.

Not literally as a result of the chlorine, mind.