'Dirty' US chicken washed with chlorine heading for British shops as E.C. seeks to improve relations with America

Family meal: But chicken could soon be washed in chlorine, if European proposals are agreed

Consumer groups have condemned plans to lift a ban on imports of 'dirty' U.S. poultry meat.

They are worried the move could put shoppers' health at risk.

American chicken producers routinely treat the carcasses of their birds with a chlorine wash in an effort to kill off food poisoning bugs such as salmonella and campylobacter.

Consumer groups and MEPs are concerned that the process is not effective  -  yet encourages farmers to operate with low hygiene standards in the mistaken belief that the chlorine wash will protect consumers.
Some critics are also worried about the health effects of consuming chlorine deposits left on the meat. But the European Commission has recommended moves to lift its 11-year- old ban in an effort to improve strained relations with the U.S. government.

London Tory MEP John Bowis has condemned the idea as 'outrageous and unacceptable', and said it would 'degrade EU citizens to guinea pigs'.

The European consumer group BEUC says a study last year found 83 per cent of U.S. chicken carried harmful bugs, despite being treated.

The figure was significantly worse than in similar tests five years earlier.

BEUC said the system adopted throughout Europe, which tries to remove harmful bugs all the way along the food chain and eliminating them from flocks, is a better option than using decontaminants.

The group has sent a letter to the Commission stating its 'serious concern' about efforts to lift the ban.

The commission proposals, which need to be approved by member states, would impose some strict controls on imports that are likely to anger the Americans.

Most notably, their chicken would have to be labelled as 'treated with antimicrobial substances' or 'decontaminated by chemicals'.

U.S. officials and farmers fear this would stigmatise their products and could lead to a consumer boycott and poor sales.

The Americans insist the use of the washes is an important food safety measure. In theory-the commission proposals would also clear the way for British and European producers to treat poultry meat with a chlorine wash to kill bugs.

The vast majority of European farmers oppose the method, however.

Chlorine washes have been used for many years in this country to disinfect bagged salads and other vegetables and fruit.

Chlorine is also used to keep the nation's tap water free from bugs.

In the past, some medical research has drawn a link between chlorine byproducts and harm to the developing baby in the womb.

However, these concerns were recently rejected by experts who advise the UK Food Standards Agency.