British officials were briefed on the possibility of allowing chemical-washed chicken into the UK before a meeting with the US embassy, new documents reveal.
Background on Chlorinated Chicken
In the US, farmers are permitted to use chlorine washes and other disinfectants to eliminate harmful bacteria that may have infected chickens during rearing and slaughter. The European Union banned this practice in 1997, leading to a long-running dispute over imports of chicken from the US. Critics argue that chlorine may compensate for or mask poorer hygiene and animal welfare standards earlier in the food chain.
Documents Reveal Internal Briefings
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been examining studies conducted in the US on washing chicken with bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to remove pathogens, according to documents released to the campaign group 38 Degrees under freedom of information laws.
The documents confirm that high-level briefings were prepared for a meeting between a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) director and the US embassy in London on or around 4 December 2025, during trade deal negotiations. The briefing confirmed that it would be possible to change standards to allow for chemical-washed chicken, stating: “Pathogen reduction treatment rules (including decontamination with chlorine) are set out in UK hygiene legislation. The legislation provides for new substances to be authorised for use, only after a rigorous UK risk analysis process.”
FSA Research on Chemical Treatments
A separate request to the FSA revealed that the government quango “did conduct work on the strength of evidence for the effectiveness of interventions against campylobacter at various stages of the food chain, this included a review of chemical treatments including studies performed in the USA. These reports are currently being prepared for publication with a view to being published on our website in late May.” This work was conducted around the same time as the trade talks.
Political Reactions and Denials
Ministers have repeatedly stated they have “no plans” to allow chicken washed with chlorine and other chemicals into the UK, despite pressure from the Trump administration during trade deal talks. During negotiations last year, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said US agriculture was being treated “very unfairly” by countries such as the UK, and she wanted the UK to accept “all meat” from the US. White House adviser Peter Navarro called sanitary standards a “phoney tool used to suppress what is very fine American agricultural product” and said the market should decide, adding: “We don’t believe that once [British people] taste American beef and chicken that they would prefer not to have it.”
Matthew McGregor, CEO at 38 Degrees, said: “These documents uncovered by 38 Degrees prove that while the government is publicly telling us they have ‘no plans’ to lower our food standards, behind closed doors it’s a different story. A ‘plan’ can change with the stroke of a pen. With officials being briefed on exactly how the UK could open its doors to chlorinated chicken in order to appease Donald Trump, it seems nothing’s off the table. This revelation will be a cause for concern for consumers across the country, who have zero appetite for chlorinated chicken. The British public’s message is clear: they don’t want to hear about ‘legislative processes’ for toxic washes, they want a cast-iron guarantee that our food standards are not for sale.”
A government spokesperson responded: “We have consistently said imports of chlorinated chicken remain illegal and there are no plans to change that. We have also been consistently clear that we will never lower our high food standards in trade deals.”
