• mosiacmango@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    edit-2
    28 days ago

    We don’t really. The EU refuses to import things like US chicken because of our food processes.

    EU food standards are leagues past ours, but the core reason is regulating some of our worst factory farm processes. More regulation will absolutely not happen for 4 years, so no real progress will be made.

    • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      28 days ago

      That “worst factory farm process” is cleaning chicken with cleaning agents generally regarded as safe.

      https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R40199.pdf

      The EU food safety agencies have issued opinions that it’s fine, and the EU would resume importing US poultry if it weren’t for that. The same agents are allowed to be used on other imported and domestically produced foods.
      The conditions in our typical poultry facility are perfectly in line with theirs, we just allow an additional rinse that they don’t.

      Our food supply is nowhere near as gross as people seem convinced.
      The biggest threat to the cleanliness of our food supply is actually people like RFK who view the food safety apparatus as the enemy.

      I really don’t see the incoming administration blocking washing poultry with vinegar or a dilute bleach solution and compensating with increased staffing for food inspection agents. More likely they approve requests by the meat industry to be able to do their own inspection and reduce independent verification in the name of “efficiency”.

      • zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        28 days ago

        GRAS can be self-affirmed by companies. It’s a huge loophole.

        Also, the conditions chickens are raised and slaughtered in the US as well as its dependence on undocumented workers that will not jeopardize their jobs by reporting safety issues or contamination hazards are also really large problems.

        Our food supply has issues I would consider pretty gross and it’s going to get a whole lot worse over the next few years.