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Many people in the UK are outraged that the country might start importing previously banned #ChlorinatedChicken as part of their post-EU trade deal.
We’ve taken a closer look at the differences between US and EU poultry practices to find out if the concerns are justified. 1/12
We’ve taken a closer look at the differences between US and EU poultry practices to find out if the concerns are justified. 1/12
Washing #chicken in disinfectants is a cost-effective way to kill bacteria. The process grew popular in the US in the 1990s after E. coli and salmonella outbreaks prompted @USDA to establish stricter regulations for the US poultry industry. 2/12 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/07/do-chickens-raised-in-the-u-s-taste-funny-because-we-chlorinate-them.html
The EU deems chlorine washing safe, yet banned the process in 1997 out of concern that poultry producers would use it as an excuse to lower sanitary standards overall. #ChlorinatedChicken has been a point of dispute between the US and EU since. 3/12 https://theconversation.com/chlorine-washed-chicken-qanda-food-safety-expert-explains-why-us-poultry-is-banned-in-the-eu-81921
In the UK, public rejection of chemically washed chicken intensified when a 2019 @Channel4 investigation revealed unhygienic and unsafe working conditions in a Texas chicken processing plant. 4/12 https://www.facebook.com/bristolforeurope/videos/dispatches-the-truth-about-chlorinated-chicken/629668387866068/
After British politicians announced plans to allow US chicken in the UK, #ChlorinatedChicken trended as Twitter users voiced concerns that the policy would be to the detriment of the UK’s hygienic standards, work safety, animal welfare, and public health. 5/12
#Chicken is the most popular meat in the US and UK. US poultry producers slaughter 9 billion chickens per year and UK producers slaughter over 1 billion. In both countries, most chickens spend their lives in a space limited to the size of an iPad. 6/12 https://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm-animals/chickens/meat-chickens/
British poultry plants aren’t without their own breaches of food safety. A @Guardian investigation at a 2 Sisters plant uncovered workers struggling to keep up with speed, chicken parts touching the floor, and managers being warned before audits. 7/12 https://www.theguardian.com/business/video/2017/sep/28/undercover-inside-the-chicken-factory-video
Just like major meat producers in the US, 2 Sisters, the UK’s biggest poultry producer has become a #COVID19 hotspot with hundreds of infected workers. In both cases, the high infection rate is attributed to unsafe working conditions. 8/12 https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supply-chain/coronavirus-cases-at-2-sisters-anglesey-factory-rise-to-158/645538.article
Food poisoning related to chicken consumption is on the rise with 2.5 million US and 9 million EU residents suffering from Campylobacter yearly. Campylobacter lives in chickens' guts and can cause diarrhea, arthritis, and paralysis in humans. 9/12
https://www.cdc.gov/campylobacter/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/campylobacter/index.html
In the UK, Campylobacter causes 280,000 infections every year. Studies found that over 50% of chicken sold in the UK carries the bacteria. Failed attempts to lower the rate led to campaigns by @NHS urging British consumers not to wash raw chicken. (10/12) https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/never-wash-raw-chicken/
US chickens receive twice the amount of antibiotics as British chickens but UK farmers still use more than 200 tonnes of antibiotics every year. All antibiotics used in animal farming needlessly contribute to the emergence of resistant bacteria. 11/12 https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/rising-meat-consumption-climate-change-and-pandemics-untangling-the-multilevel-connections-68346/
Drug-resistant bacteria could cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050, according to a report from the UN.
Regardless of location, a global shift toward healthier, more sustainable protein sources is needed to hinder the spread of disease. 12/12 https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/29-04-2019-new-report-calls-for-urgent-action-to-avert-antimicrobial-resistance-crisis
Regardless of location, a global shift toward healthier, more sustainable protein sources is needed to hinder the spread of disease. 12/12 https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/29-04-2019-new-report-calls-for-urgent-action-to-avert-antimicrobial-resistance-crisis
