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| ▲ | dathinab 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| Interesting Side Note: bleached/chlorinated chicken The things which makes this a no go in the EU is ironically not the chlorination per-se, but the fact that chlorination is needed. Like basically the EU thinks the way the US allows farmers to keep and raise chickens is so bad/unsanitary that chlorinating them isn't sufficient to make them safe for (repeated) consumption. Which makes sense given that some of the things involved can lead to (non exhaustive list): - non healthy chemicals _in_ the meat, not just on it - increase in parasite, bacteria or virus infection _in_ the meat - increased chance bacteria have some form of antibiotic resistance or other mutations - not wanting to support "that" level of animal abuse (which is not just illegal but criminal in many EU countries, but also that doesn't mean that EU countries are that much better, they just drew a line on the level of animal abuse they tolerate which is in a different place then the line the US drew, but both are far away from the line animal protection organizations would drew) |
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| ▲ | legacynl an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | > but the fact that chlorination is needed. You're wrong. The whole point is this: in EU, you cannot chlorinate your chickens. This means that to sell chicken, you need to make sure that your chicken is good to eat without chlorination (by making sure your whole production chain is sanitized up to sufficient level). In the US you don't need to make sure your production chain is super high sanitation quality because you can chlorinate the chicken afterwards. This means that you don't have to spend money/effort cleaning up your chains, because you can dip them in chlorine after. From a health perspective there is honestly not that big of a difference. The resulting product in both cases is chicken that's safe to eat. The real reason for the difference in policy is the incentives that it creates for the meat-producers. In the US there is no incentive to keep sanitation up in the production chains because the chicken will be chlorinated anyway. This actually incentivizes sloppy (cheaper) production methods over ones that are more sanitized but more costly. On the other hand, in the EU you cannot wash chicken meat, so it needs to be kept clean and sanitized throughout the production process. | | |
| ▲ | gruez an hour ago | parent [-] | | >The real reason for the difference in policy is the incentives that it creates for the meat-producers. In the US there is no incentive to keep sanitation up in the production chains because the chicken will be chlorinated anyway. This actually incentivizes sloppy (cheaper) production methods over ones that are more sanitized but more costly. If there's no actual downsides from the chlorine, what's the issue? In many cities the municipal water source is local river that's polluted, and needs treatment to be drinkable. Part of that process might involve adding chlorine. I'm sure that all of this can be avoided if the water is sourced, at great expense, from a glacier or whatever, but nobody would suggest we should ban chlorinating water, and that allowing chlorinating water would be better because it forces the water source to be clean. |
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| ▲ | traceroute66 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | > the fact that chlorination is needed Indeed. High levels of bacteria are a symptom of poor hygiene and low animal welfare due to conditions which are not permitted in European farms. If you know the chicken is going to be chlorine washed, then you end up being lax higher up the chain. There is also a genuine argument to be had as to, for example, whether the practice contributes towards antimicrobial resistance. | |
| ▲ | Throaway1982 an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | The EU doesn't allow chlorination of chicken |
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| ▲ | throwaway2037 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| > bleached chicken
I don't understand this meme that appears whenever US vs "Europe" food/crop standards are discussed.I Googled for more info, and I found this quote: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/15/nx... > Less than 5% of poultry processing facilities still use chlorine in rinses and sprays, according to the National Chicken Council, an industry group that surveyed its members. (Those that still do use a highly diluted solution at concentrations deemed safe.)
> Nowadays, the industry mostly uses organic acids to reduce cross contamination, primarily peracetic, or peroxyacetic acid, which is essentially a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
What do European chicken meat plants use to reduce bateria load? > prevalence of GM crops
EU grows plenty of GM maize. More will come. Are Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) crops bad? |
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| ▲ | squeefers 3 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | > What do European chicken meat plants use to reduce bateria load? sanitary conditions | |
| ▲ | wojciii 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | > What do European chicken meat plants use to reduce bateria load? I'm sure it's just salt and water. I don't understand why consumers will pay for a chicken breast which has been injected with salt water. It comes out when you prepare it. Also some people don't season food with salt (you can add salt at the table if you really need it). Meat with added salt taste very salty to me. | | |
| ▲ | jansper39 an hour ago | parent [-] | | It's also down to vaccination requirements for EU based farms who take far more preventative measures than US ones. It's why you can eat raw eggs and keep them out of the fridge in the EU/UK but not in the US, because the chickens are vaccination for Salmonella. | | |
| ▲ | ptero an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | The reason for keeping eggs in a fridge is different (primarily washing vs not washing). This has been discussed a number of times at HN. Here is an example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19815155 | |
| ▲ | Tangurena2 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Japanese egg production is even cleaner, but then consuming raw eggs is commonplace in Japan. | |
| ▲ | throwaway2037 an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | Generally, I agree with your post. About "keep them out of the fridge": I thought this is mostly due to wash or not-wash the eggs before packing. I think washing removes a thin layer that makes the eggs last longer, but can be visually less appealing. Please correct me if you know better! Japan also vaccinates heavily for Salmonella, and they eat plenty of raw eggs in their cuisine. | | |
| ▲ | watwut an hour ago | parent [-] | | > . I think washing removes a thin layer that makes the eggs last longer, but can be visually less appealing. European eggs look just fine. The wash we talk about here is chemical, not just cleaning out mess with water. But yes, this is about wash or not-wash thing. Just that is has nothing to do with visuals. |
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| ▲ | hluska 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | That’s really the whole point - EU food standards indicate that the need to use acids to prevent bacteria growth is the problem. The EU system is based on having higher sanitation requirements at all steps from feed to cage to plate. |
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| ▲ | traceroute66 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| > look down on inferior products I object to the use of "look down on" in this context. The products listed are inferior products, end of. "Look down" suggests an expression of contempt. But there is no contempt to be had here, it is a simple fact. > bad farming practices would lead to very affordable food, then one could make an argument for it. I ... just... I ....have no words for what I just read there. Its affordable so its ok .... really ? SERIOUSLY ? |
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| ▲ | anonymous908213 11 minutes ago | parent [-] | | They didn't say "it's affordable so it's okay". They said "if it made it very affordable, then one could make an argument for it". And they're right. If you could reduce poverty by providing food at 1/2 or 1/5th the price of European-quality food, that would absolutely be worth having an argument over. Of course, this isn't actually the case, which is why they then said it's the worst of both worlds - American food manages to be both unhealthy and expensive rather than only one or the other. |
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| ▲ | gruez an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| >inferior products like HFCS, [...] prevalence of GM crops The others I agree with, but there's no evidence that HFCS or GM crops are bad. |
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| ▲ | bestouff 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Looks like the healthcare system. |
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| ▲ | spacecadet 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| you do know those are industrial food manufacturing outcomes not farming outcomes? Ain't no one bleaching my families chickens, or giving their cattle growth hormones. Americans have been tricked and mislead by marketing and conglomerate, some of which is European. |
