On Tuesday, The Guardian reported concern in the UK about any US-UK free trade deal. Several practices, outlawed in the EU are accepted in the US. These are listed as:
- Chlorine-washed chicken (banned in the EU).
- Hormone-treated beef (banned in the EU).
- Ractopamine in pork (banned in the EU).
- Chicken litter as animal feed (banned in the EU). Includes the birds’ faeces.
- Atrazine-treated crops (banned in the EU). Atrazine is a herbicide used on 90% of sugar cane, which can enter into the water supply and interfere with wildlife.
- Genetically modified foods (banned in the EU).
- Brominated vegetable oil (banned in the EU). BVO is used in citrus drinks; Coca-Cola announced it would stop using BVO in 2004.
- Potassium bromate (banned in the EU). A dough conditioner also banned in China, Brazil and Canada, in tests on rats it has been found to be a possible carcinogen.
- Azodicarbonamide. A bleaching agent for flour, it has been linked to an increase in tumours in rats.
- Food colourants (banned in the UK, regulated in the EU). Can lead to hyperactivity in children.
Campaigners are concerned that food safety standards will be sacrificed in the pursuit of a post-Brexit deal as British farmers would be required to drop standards to remain competitive. Find the report here.
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