Rejected petition Disallow chlorinated chicken being allowed to enter UK food markets and shops.

We call on the UK Government to enact legislation banning the import of chlorinated chicken from any country to protect UK food safety and animal welfare standards.

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Health Concerns:
Chlorine washing treats chicken carcasses with chlorine-based solutions (e.g., chlorine dioxide or hypochlorous acid) to kill surface bacteria like Salmonella:Campylobacter. This masks deeper hygiene issues in the production chain. A 2018 Southampton University study found that pathogens can survive chlorine washes. The process might obscure systemic flaws where bacteria thrive.

Welfare Concerns:
The bigger issue is what chlorination enables: lower animal welfare standards.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

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The Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Douglas Alexander MP gave a statement on trade negotiations in the House of Commons Chamber on 8 May stating "the import of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal". You can read the full transcript in Hansard:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-05-08/debates/BBFBC52E-FBD4-466A-A0D1-5A745E53B564/TradeNegotiations

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 29 March 2025
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