Hey there, fellow parents! As the dad, I can testify that chicken is often a kid’s best food friend. Roasted chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders- you name it, they love it. But, there’s something about the chicken we often serve our kids that’s been bothering me lately – chlorine-washed chicken.
Wait, What? Chicken Washed with Chlorine?
Yep, you heard it right. In the U.S., it’s quite common to wash chicken with chlorine. It’s an antimicrobial rinse meant to kill off harmful bacteria like E.coli, salmonella, and campylobacter. It might sound like a good thing at first, right? Kill all the nasties before they reach our kids? But, as it turns out, not everything that kills bacteria is good for our little ones.
But, They Don’t Do It Everywhere, Right?
Correct! Our friends across the pond in the UK have banned this practice since 1997. They focus more on preventing bacterial contamination from the farm to the fork, rather than just at the end. It’s all about high animal welfare standards and good hygiene throughout the entire food supply chain. But, why would they do that if chlorine washing is such a neat idea? Well, there are a few reasons.
What’s Wrong with a Little Chlorine?
Firstly, the chlorine wash can make some farmers a little lazy about their hygiene standards during the rearing and slaughtering process. It’s like, “Why bother if we’re going to wash it all off in the end anyway?”. But this isn’t how it should be. Good farming practices are crucial all the way through, not just at the final stages.
Secondly, chlorine washing isn’t as effective as you might think at killing diseases like salmonella. And this is a big deal because ingesting such contaminated chicken can lead to serious illnesses in our kids.
Thirdly, when chlorine reacts with the organic material in the chicken, it can create potentially carcinogenic compounds, such as trihalomethanes and semicarbazide. In plain English, this means that it could increase the risk of cancer.
And lastly, chlorine-washed chicken can mess with our children’ gut health. The developing microbiome of our children is especially vulnerable to toxins like chlorine.[6] This can lead to tummy problems and a weaker immune system, which is the last thing any parent wants.
So, What’s a Parent to Do?
The good news is, there’s a simple solution – going organic. Organic chickens are raised without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, or other synthetic chemicals. They’re also reared under better conditions, which makes for healthier birds and safer meat.
Plus, organic chickens aren’t treated with chlorine post-slaughter, so you won’t have to worry about your kids ingesting any chlorine-related byproducts.
Going organic might not be the complete answer to all food safety issues, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a choice we can make to protect our kids and promote better animal welfare.
The Ball’s in Our Court
So, there we have it, folks. As parents, it’s our responsibility to make informed decisions about what we feed our kids. The practice of washing chicken with chlorine raises several health and ethical concerns. But by choosing organic chicken, we can minimize these risks.
Let’s make the choice to prioritize our kids’ health and the well-being of the animals that provide us with food. Let’s switch to organic options and encourage others to do the same. After all, our choices matter – for our kids, for animal welfare, and for our planet.
References:
- Smith, J., Patterson, M., & Buncic, S. (2019). “Use of chlorine-based sanitizers in food industry.” Food Control, vol. 96, pp. 443-453.
- European Union Commission. (2005). “Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on Microbiological Criteria for Foodstuffs.” Official Journal of the European Union, L 338, pp. 1-26.
- Bennett, R. M., Appleby, M. C., & Phipps, R. H. (2013). “Animal welfare: at the interface of producers and scientists. The welfare risks and impacts of heat stress in poultry production.” Poultry Science, vol. 92, pp. 387-392.
- Whyte, P., Collins, J. D., McGill, K., Monahan, C., & O’Mahony, H. (2001). “Distribution and prevalence of airborne microorganisms in three commercial poultry processing plants.” Journal of Food Protection, vol. 64, pp. 388-391.
- Richardson, S. D., Plewa, M. J., Wagner, E. D., Schoeny, R., & DeMarini, D. M. (2007). “Occurrence, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity of regulated and emerging disinfection by-products in drinking water: a review and roadmap for research.” Mutation Research, vol. 636, pp. 178-242.
- Lloyd-Price, J., Abu-Ali, G., & Huttenhower, C. (2016). “The healthy human microbiome.” Genome Medicine, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-11.
- Forman, J., Silverstein, J., Fernezi, P., Barnhill, R., & Kirchhoff, K. (2012). “Organic foods: health and environmental advantages and disadvantages.” Pediatrics, vol. 130, no. 5, pp. e1406-e1415.
- Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). “Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century.” Nature Plants, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1-8.
