Dispatches: The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken
TV

Brits sickened as Dispatches exposes ‘disgusting’ chicken washed in chemicals

Some vowed never to eat American chicken

Channel 4 viewers were sickened last night (June 3) after a Dispatches documentary exposed stomach-churning practices in the US chicken industry.

In The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken, presenter Kate Quilton went to America to investigate the country’s poultry production – looking in particular at how chicken there is washed with chlorine, a practice banned in the EU.

Dispatches: The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken
The show included secret footage filmed inside a US factory (Credit: Channel 4)

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The report featured grim footage shot by an undercover employee in a processing plant that highlighted a number of bad hygiene practices.

At one point, a supervisor was heard discussing “a trend of adulterated product” or, in other words, pieces of glass present in chicken.

The programme also talked about “amputations” in the American poultry industry – staff losing fingers and other body parts due to dangerous working processes.

Kate Quilton
The programme was presented by Kate Quilton (Credit: Channel 4)

Viewers flocked to Twitter to express their disgust as the scenes unfolded.

One wrote: “Just watched… wow what an eye opener… put me right off my dinner! I really do hope that when we leave the EU that we don’t do an American trade deal and end up with their chlorinated chicken! If we do I will not be buying it.”

Someone else tweeted: “@C4Dispatches #Dispatches USA you can keep your horrid chicken.”

A third wrote: “#Dispatches watching this about chlorinated chicken makes me feel physically sick! I say thank god for the EU and their legislation.”

Another said: “Just watched #Dispatches’ stomach-churning doc on US chicken production. Filthy factories, no workers rights, no animal welfare standards. No wonder 100s of Americans die each year from salmonella. Zero deaths in UK.”

Dispatches: The Truth About Chlorinated Chicken
Some viewers said they’d never ever eat American chicken (Credit: Channel 4)

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“After watching tonight’s #Dispatches programme, who in their right mind would ever buy US chicken? The state of the factory was disgusting and I can’t believe the American people just accept it! I will never eat chicken in the US again!” tweeted a fifth.

“Grossed out by #dispatches expose on US chicken processing. Awful conditions for workers and #chlorinatedchicken. Keep your 🇺🇸 chicken nuggets or step up your standards,” wrote another sickened viewer.

https://twitter.com/KathrynJMIrwin/status/1135631736396603392

Would you eat chlorinated chicken after watching Dispatches? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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