Did You Know You May Be Eating Chlorinated Chicken

If you are trying to eat healthy…you need to know this.Recent news about the importation of poultry to shops in Europe has brought to light an issue that some Americans didn’t know themselves. We are eating chlorinated chickens.

Big poultry producers in the United States do put their chicken in chlorine baths to decontaminate it as required by the FDA. Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy? Especially when there are other ways of decontamination?

Successful trials, including several at the University of Georgia, have shown that electrolyzed water is highly effective at killing food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, without affecting the quality of the food.

The export of poultry issue has some Europeans in an uproar. Europeans have stricter animal rights laws which they should want to uphold. But the biggest problem right now is that the US chickens are dipped in a chlorine solution to disinfect them after being slaughtered.

While there is little proof that this is harmful to human health, there is little proof that it is safe. However, according to the U.S. Council Of Environmental Quality, "Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine."

It’s not known yet the long term effects of chemical reactions that occur with chlorine and meat. These reactions might be mutagenic, which could lead to cancer with high enough exposure.

Organic Chicken… The Only Way Around It

Certified organic chicken is supplied by individual farmers. Organic production comes from a holistic system which actively manages the linkage between healthy soils, plants, animals, food and people and promotes environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Providers of certified 100% organic chicken are not required to use the same processing as the big companies.

This is an important reason to know your farmers and/or butchers whenever possible. Or, if this is not possible, spend the extra time to seek out trustworthy companies that provide completely organic chicken. You can find organic chicken in your local stores and on-line…but check out their processing techniques and read the label.

Chlorine should not be what’s for dinner and does not belong on a plan for healthy eating.