Waitrose will never ever stock chlorinated hen, says manager

The new manager of supermarket Waitrose has backed phone calls to stop any relaxation of rules banning imports of chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef.

James Bailey reported Waitrose would not inventory these types of products and solutions.

The information supports a Countrywide Farmers Union campaign to ban imports of foodstuff manufactured to a reduce regular than currently permitted in the British isles.

Trade Secretary Liz Truss explained to MPs past week that the UK’s food stuff requirements will not be compromised by new trade deals.

She was responding to worries among food stuff campaigners and environmental groups that decreasing standards for imported develop could variety element of a potential British isles-US trade deal.

• MPs urge Uk ban on chlorinated hen and hormone-fed beef
• Chlorinated rooster: How protected is it?

But fears around chlorine-washed chicken and other US farming tactics have been explained by Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the British isles, as “inflammatory and misleading”.

Earlier this 12 months, Mr Johnson mentioned it was significant that US beef and poultry must be allowed into the British isles.

He said the approach was made use of by EU farmers to treat greens, and that it was the ideal way to offer with salmonella and other microorganisms.

‘Unacceptable’

In Waitrose’s Weekend magazine, Mr Bailey pointed out that a million people today have signed a Nationwide Farmers Union (NFU) petition contacting for rules to reduce upcoming trade deals major to meals imports that would be unlawful to produce in the British isles.

“We will under no circumstances offer any Waitrose products that does not fulfill our have higher criteria,” he reported.

He explained that “any regression from the specifications we have pioneered for the very last 30 many years would be an unacceptable backwards stage”.

He included: “It would be simply just completely wrong to retain higher expectations at house nonetheless import food from overseas that has been produced to reduce specifications.

“We would be closing our eyes to a difficulty that exists in yet another part of the entire world and to animals who are out of our sight and our minds.”

Why ban chlorine-washed hen?

Washing rooster in chlorine and other disinfectants to eliminate unsafe germs was a apply banned by the European Union (EU) in 1997 in excess of food items security fears.

It truly is not consuming chlorine by itself that the EU is fearful about – in reality in 2005 the European Food items Basic safety Authority explained that “publicity to chlorite residues arising from dealt with poultry carcasses would be of no safety concern“.

Chlorine-rinsed bagged salads are prevalent in the Uk and other countries in the EU.

But the EU believes that relying on a chlorine rinse at the end of the meat manufacturing system could be a way of compensating for weak hygiene standards – such as soiled or crowded abattoirs.

Instead, the EU suggests the finest way to remove the hazard of salmonella and other bacteria is to keep high farming and production specifications.

The bulk of British shoppers are against imports of decrease regular foodstuff, in accordance to a Which? survey released on Thursday.

Some 95% of buyers claimed it is significant for the British isles to manage existing food stuff expectations, which ban the use of chlorine-washing, development hormones and a lot of pesticides.

In the meantime 86% panic a weakening of requirements could lead to the import of items banned in the Uk.

Which? warned that could direct to chlorinated rooster and hormone-addressed beef remaining served up in universities, hospitals and eating places, where by people may have minimal information or selection about what they eat.

Sue Davies, head of customer security and meals coverage at Which?, explained: “Foodstuff specifications in the British isles must not be compromised by any trade offer that would betray decades of progress on foodstuff protection, top quality and animal welfare.”

A Department for Worldwide Trade spokesman explained: “This federal government has been obvious it will not indicator a trade deal that will compromise our higher environmental safety, animal welfare and food protection expectations.

“Chlorinated hen and hormone-injected beef are not permitted for import into the Uk. This will be retained through the EU Withdrawal Act and enshrined in British isles regulation at the conclusion of the transition agreement.”