Trumps State visit- Monday 3rd June

Mevlock

We wash under the kitchen tap (wash/brush the skin) and dry all uncooked chickens before cooking and always have done.

No problem.

IronGiant

I think recent presidents have been invited for a state visit, and it was becoming the norm.

Those before Bush, weren't not invited because we didn't like them. For instance, I don't remember any hostility from the public toward, say Bill Clinton.
So if we hadn't invited Trump or in fact Presidents that come after him, it would be seen as a snub.

Mevlock

The fact that that it's not the chlorination that's the problem.

But if you have Toko Black on ignore you've probably missed out on the most important post in this thread so far.

"
It's not perfectly safe though.
... and it's not because it's been chlorine washed, but why.

The chickens are chlorine washed because they have to be to reduce the higher levels of bacteria on them compared to UK chickens.
Relying on Chlorine washing instead of better animal welfare and hygiene standards can and does reduce the costs, but it increases the risk of food poisoning because it doesn't reduce the risks of contamination to levels enough to offset (not only surface contamination, chlorination does not remove any contamination that has penetrated the meat) - the percentage of deaths from food poisoning in the US is 6 times higher than the UK as an example.

So disregarding the chlorine risk, the issue is one of cheaper direct costs to the farmer/supply chain versus less healthy and well looked after chickens, higher risks of food poisoning and the indirect costs on the economy from lost workdays and increased NHS usage.
"

Your own link also explains this.

SteakAndCake

Do we know whether it's financially viable to import these cheaper chickens or is this a hypothetical discussion?

IronGiant

I honestly don't know why I bother posting in this section.

Yet again people are posting links and just cherry picking the sections that align with their own views. Intead of having an honest debate about the entirety of the issues invovled. There's no nuance, no serious discussion.

Derek S-H

Given the USA seems keen to be able to export to the UK, it must be viable.

I don't know the comparison of costs between the USA and UK / EU though.

Mevlock

How will I do that to my box of 20 McNuggets?

EarthRod

Should McDonalds start sourcing their chicken from America, then I'd suggest you eat elsewhere.  They make a big thing about sourcing their beef from Irish or British cattle, so I can see that the source of their chicken will also be under scrutiny.
Could be a bit trickier to find out where your local Takeway gets it's chicken from though.

IronGiant

He's a thug and a bully and all he seems to do is issue threats and ultimatums.

The whole charade is a just a backslapping exercise to puff up already enormous egos.

But as long as it generates trade (because nothing else matters in life, apparently), then we're good to go!

Cliff

I mean, did you even read anything else in the link that you posted, beyond the sections that back up your argument?

"The EFSA has also stressed that “the use of antimicrobial solutions does not replace the need for good hygienic practices during processing of poultry carcasses, particularly during handling…”. It also cautioned that it hadn’t looked at data on the by-products of chlorine use, aside from the chickens themselves.

This is part of the reasoning behind the EU’s ban. Back in the late 1990s, when the ban was introduced.."

Chlorination isn't needed at all! The only reason they do it is because the rest of their production line is sub standard compared to what we deem acceptable over here.

I mean if we ever get American imported chlorinated chicken over here feel free to eat it.

I work in the catering industry and deal with food safety and hygiene on a daily basis. There's no way I'd feed it to either to my family or my customers.