A woman on Instagram claimed that grocery store chicken is soaked in chlorine. Viewers are wondering whether or not the facts line up with the claim.
In a Reel posted on Instagram, @lei.unleashed revealed the truth about mass-produced chicken at grocery stores. “Did you know that unless your chicken is air chilled that it is dumped in a water bath that has chemicals in it?” the woman who boasts 67,000 followers said.
Commenters were quick to react to the post.
@esteban.elizaga commented, “Why do American companies scam their customers—from healthcare to food? All they care about is money. So gross.”
Another commenter, @gabes500, said “the fear mongering here is insane. Especially the use of the word ‘Chemicals’ as if they are inherently bad. Pure water is a chemical. Just because something is a chemical does not make it unhealthy or unsafe. Even chemicals that ARE unhealthy can be perfectly fine in the right quantities.”
Her video also says U.S. chicken is banned in Europe. It has more than 205,000 faves and 5,500 comments.
Wait, so farmers soak chicken in chlorine?
According to Miller’s Farm, up to “97% of chickens processed in USDA facilities are bathed in chlorine – even certified organic farms and their processors do it.”
Other sources differ when estimating how many chickens in the U.S. are bathed in chlorine.
The USDA states that chickens treated with chlorine baths are safe for consumption. The European food safety regulator EFSA also reported that chickens that are treated with chemical washes are “unlikely to pose an immediate or acute health risk for consumers.”
Does chlorine seep out of the chicken?
@lei.unleashed stated that the water coming out of the bathed chicken from the grocery store is chlorinated.
“Ever feel like your chicken is a bit stringy when raw? Yeah, that’s cause the chlorine breaks down the muscle fibers,” she added.
Neither of these statements is necessarily true. The USDA reports that the liquid that excretes from chicken is “purge” or “weep” rather than chlorine, but concerned consumers should still consider whether or not they want to purchase chemically washed chicken.
Is U.S. chicken banned in Europe?
According to the BBC, yes, and specifically because of the chlorine soaking. But not for the reason you think. Writes the BBC:
It’s not consuming chlorine itself that the EU is worried about – in fact in 2005 the European Food Safety Authority said that “exposure to chlorite residues arising from treated poultry carcasses would be of no safety concern“. Chlorine-rinsed bagged salads are common 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 production process could be a way of compensating for poor hygiene standards – such as dirty or crowded abattoirs.
Is Costco chicken dangerous?
The University of Maryland asserted the safety of parts per million chlorine baths, stating “DBPs exposure from consuming poultry does not create a significant risk for cancer or other health conditions.”
As a general rule, consumers should practice the best safety standards for their homes. When buying chicken, it’s worth considering whether or not the producer soaked the chicken or air-chilled it.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @lei.unleashed and Costco for comment.
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