Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

latimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 219 posts

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#171

Post by zaarn »

joshuaissac wrote: post #79
donatj wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote the article: > It’s vinegar, essentially. To say that’s unsafe or not to be used, we don’t think there’s a basis for that in sound science. If you're fine with using vinegar elsewhere in food, you should be fine with this.

EU member states put chlorine in their water supply, too, but chlorine itself was never the problem. Chlorine washing can be used to hide problems further up the supply chain, so if vinegar washing enables the same, it should also be disallowed.

Not all states do, atleast in my region, there is no requirement to clean water with chlorine once it comes from the water table other than if a farmer screws up their schedules.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#172

Post by uhtred »

jessaustin wrote: post #149
stiray wrote: post #84

(Read to the end, it is not what you think it is!) I have stopped eating meat in 1990, due to the discusting way the animals are treated and I couldn't care less. At well over 40s I still look young, no gray hair, medical results are fabolus. BUT!!! I would seriously ask all the vegans/vegetarians to STFU, they are annoying to the point where everyone attacks me when I tell him that I don't eat meat and try to argue.…

This is similar to people who claim to be agnostics rather than atheists. There's nothing wrong with atheism per se , but no reasonable person wants to start any discussion by admitting, "I'm an asshole!"

Of course there's nothing wrong with atheism, it's rational. People who believe in God are the assholes.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#173

Post by ceejayoz »

ars wrote: post #167
ceejayoz wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's an even stronger argument against allowing US chicken to be imported.

Could be, but I think it's mainly an argument against US eggs to be imported, not the meat, which is the discussion here. I've never heard of someone getting salmonella from chicken meat because it's not normally eaten raw. Although personally I think the US should have mandatory salmonella immunization (currently about half of egg laying chickens are immunized).

> I've never heard of someone getting salmonella from chicken meat because it's not normally eaten raw.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/salmonella-raw-ch...

"Salmonella from raw chicken has made 92 people sick across 29 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday."

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#174

Post by crazypyro »

paganel wrote: post #67
mech1234 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems to me like the real motivation is defending their own agricultural industry. American chicken is cheaper and likely just as good. The health claims are weak, everyone can understand protectionism, but it is often masked behind other claimed goals. The data on salmonella is not super solid, but points to higher levels in the U.S. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47440562

The US imported food has been the stuff of jokes in my country for almost 20 years now, even before we entered the EU, and we are an Eastern-European country with all sorts of other problems. Can’t really understand how can many US commenters say that US food is as good and healthy as European food with a straight face.

Isn't it obvious the stuff that gets imported isn't the same stuff that all Americans eat? The US isn't exactly exporting tons of fresh food all the way to Eastern Europe.

Of course its gonna be mostly packaged, mass produced crap....

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#175

Post by Zenst »

anticensor wrote: post #155
ska wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eggs are a funny one, as the regulation is very different between US and EU. In the US all commercial eggs must be washed, which destroys the cuticle and is why eggs are stored in a fridge to keep fresh. In the EU commercial eggs cannot be washed, and are typically stored outside the fridge (and vaccinated against salmonella, iirc). There is a lot of contention about the effect on bacterial culturing, but research I'…

Turkey does best of all those, in regards to eggs: We have proper vaccination of chickens, eggs are not washed and eggs are always kept cold in stores (usually also at home).

Maybe, certainly prudent approach and many I know in the UK also store their eggs in the fridge, though can't say it's common to see them stored in a fridge in stores.

Be nice to see some stats comparing that, though different countries have different ways of measuring stats and then culture of accessing such services. UK, it's free so people wont hesitate, USA - not free, be cases that ppl ride it out themselves, or not and only then would be a statistic. Turkey - no idea and not easy to find such stats in western language as "Turkey health stats" won't end well in the likes of google and as it in effect, flips you the bird :groan:.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#176

Post by ars »

ceejayoz wrote: post #173
ars wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could be, but I think it's mainly an argument against US eggs to be imported, not the meat, which is the discussion here. I've never heard of someone getting salmonella from chicken meat because it's not normally eaten raw. Although personally I think the US should have mandatory salmonella immunization (currently about half of egg laying chickens are immunized).

> I've never heard of someone getting salmonella from chicken meat because it's not normally eaten raw. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/salmonella-raw-ch... "Salmonella from raw chicken has made 92 people sick across 29 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday."

I stand corrected.

Maybe the trade agreement should be modified to require only immunized chickens to be exported to the UK.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#177

Post by mariopt »

gruez wrote: post #81
mariopt wrote: post #60

I remember when I visited a supermarket in the states and noticed something very weird: Not only chicken breast was super super cheap but the color was whiteish and didn't look right to me. Since a young age I visited egg farms and I can tell you the conditions are far from ideal, they even turn on the lights at 3am to enhance egg production. We're talking about egg farms that are regulated by EU laws. About 12 years…

>I remember when I visited a supermarket in the states and noticed something very weird: Not only chicken breast was super super cheap but the color was whiteish and didn't look right to me. Could it be woody breast? https://old.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/c9lbu3/psa_can_we_tal... https://www.wsj.com/articles/bigger-chickens-bring-a-tough-n...

Just checked the pictures of woody breast and the ones I saw were even whiter.

I can tell you that chicken breast in the UK, France and Portugal looks and tastes the same to me.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#178

Post by ceejayoz »

derision wrote: post #122
uhtred wrote: post #82

Who is still eating meat in 2020? Disgusting. No excuse whatsoever for supporting animal cruelty. Shame on you.

I buy all my meat from Butcher Box. All their meat is humanely raised. All their animals are pasture raised and free to roam. Pigs have bedding in open barns, chickens roost in barns and are free to roam. https://www.butcherbox.com/sourcing/ They work with American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on their chicken standards as well. Not all meat is cruel.

> Not all meat is cruel.

To be clear, I'd still consider killing me cruel even if you treated me nicely up until that point.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#179

Post by lordlimecat »

tryptophan wrote: post #31
mxscho wrote: post #13

> Perdue on Monday defended [...] the technique to disinfect poultry [...], arguing that U.S. farmers now use a chemical called peracetic acid rather than chlorine: "Peracetic acid ... is a great pathogen reduction treatment. You know what it is? It's vinegar, essentially. To say that's unsafe or not to be used, we don't think there's a basis for that in sound science." I always thought the EU doesn't want this proce…

>It's vinegar, essentially. Lol. Sure, lets all just drink hydrogen peroxide. It's water, essentially. Peroxides and carboxylic acids(vinegar is an example) are very different things...

Noone is suggesting ingesting vinegar, or peroxide, or chlorine, or paracetic acid.

But they do all breakdown fairly safely (peroxide becomes water iirc) and don't warrant the hysteria they're being given.

Re: U.S. wants the EU to accept chemical-washed chicken as part of trade deal

#180

Post by throwaway41968 »

rokalakt wrote: post #68
mvdwoord wrote: post #44

The Netherlands has a treaty (against the outcome of the referendum) with the Ukraine which allows for effectively undermining our animal welfare policies. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2016/05/ukraine-poultry-giant-... If the EU allows this as well (or finds some weird amended way to do the same while proclaiming something else) what's next?

Who knows what's next. Cheaper Tesla vehicles, more US technology, less regulation around the EU, and so on. This whole "chemical-washed" paranoia is just propaganda from EU farmers, and EU protectionism. I for one welcome cheaper products, so at least people who barely afford food would at least have an option. Certainly if standards of living are so high around the EU no one would buy such products anyway, right?

But we don't want cheaper Tesla vehicles. We don't want mass surveillance tools that masquerade as US technology. We don't want poor people to eat chemical-soaked chicken. It may surprise you but not everyone gapes in awe at America as a model to follow around the globe.
Post reply on HN