Exclusive: Documents released to campaign group 38 Degrees reveal UK officials briefed on possibility of altering food standards
British officials were briefed on the possibility of allowing chemical-washed chicken into the UK before a meeting with the US embassy, new documents reveal.
The Food Standards Agency is also looking at studies performed in the US on washing chicken with bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to remove pathogens, according to the documents, released to the campaign group 38 Degrees under freedom of information laws.
Ministers have repeatedly said they have “no plans” to allow chicken washed with chlorine and other chemicals into the UK, despite pressure from the Trump administration to do so during trade deal talks.
In the US, farmers are allowed to use chlorine washes and other disinfectants to remove harmful bacteria that may have infected chickens during rearing and slaughter. The EU banned the practice in 1997, leading to a long-running dispute over imports of chicken from the US. There are concerns that chlorine may compensate or mask poorer hygiene and animal welfare standards earlier in the food chain.
