Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
The U.S. poultry industry has been ignoring whistleblower concerns about dangerous chemical use at processing plants, but will it ignore international trading partners? An NPR story last week explained how Europe’s food standards, which instigated banning chlorine treatment on chicken in the 1990s, are impacting U.S. trade negotiations.
USDA poultry inspector Sherry Medina has been speaking out against the U.S. industry’s excessive reliance on chemicals (including peracetic acid, chlorine, and other unknown substances) to clean chicken carcasses. She was forced to retire early due to serious health issues she believed resulted from the chemical cocktail that workers breathe in every day at the Tyson Foods plant where she was stationed. Here’s a photo of Sherry giving an interview on German television. 
Brian MacDonald is another USDA inspector who felt he had no choice but to leave his job due to failing health “related to chemical exposure.” In the affidavit he submitted to FIC, he explains how concerns were heightened when the facility had poor ventilation, an issue likewise raised by Medina. Three more anonymous whistleblowers raised similar concerns. View all of their affidavits here.
If workers inspecting your chicken can’t even breathe while on the job, something is seriously wrong. Europe has it right with strict regulation of chemical use. If American companies want to stay competitive abroad, they need to heed whistleblower concerns and keep processing plants from posing a hazard to both workers and consumers.
Sarah Damian is Communications Manager for the Food Integrity Campaign.
There is seriously something wrong when “the greatest country on earth” can’t transport their chicken to another country because they don’t want chemicals in their food. We need to wake up and realize that the American people don’t want it either.Report
We need safe, healthy food!Report
Enough chemicals please !Report
STOP THE USE OF CHEMICALS IN OUR FOODS!!Report
enough is enough. join the worldReport
There are already to many chemicals in all the food we eat and they are making us sick, no chemicals in chicken!Report
I’m saying noReport
Chemicals should never be in foods of any kind.Report
Please stop chicken going through a chlorine bath before reaching consumers.Report
These American Corporations need to stop POISONING the american people, by using chemicals in our poultry! It is bad enough that we are ingesting chemicals in the air, water, & other foods.Report
If workers inspecting your chicken can’t even breathe while on the job, something is seriously wrong. Europe has it right with strict regulation of chemical use. If American companies want to stay competitive abroad, they need to heed whistleblower concerns and keep processing plants from posing a hazard to both workers and consumers.Report
Ban the use of hazardous chemicals in processing chicken in the U.S.Report
Food integrity is of critical importance; we must have food that is good for us and not harmful to the environment. We must have confidence in the food we eat in order really to be free and full citizens of democracies.Report
I just want good food, not full of unnecessary chemicals!Report
Our children must not face yet a more polluted, chlorinated landscape than already exists. Greed and short term gain must be over-ruled by a global ethics of respect and basic humanity towards all living beings.Report
stop the violence and keep the animals safe…Report
It’s past the time of concern that the large Food Industries are telling the Governmental Departments how to process and package food in our food system. Once this stops the People will get safer, cleaner food!Report
The Chemicals??? Isn’t it bad enough they’ve been shown to be hazardous to workers? Must the health of the general public continue to be subjected to the same fate? When will enough be enough? We must prevent devastating social, health and economic consequences of the widening chemical contamination from our food supply including chickens. It’s time to stop that chemical contamination NOW!Report
Why is it necessary to further contaminate? It makes no sense and
the Europeans are far smarter about protecting their food.Report
Halt all chemical use now!!Report
It is not right for the chickens to be tested because this is curelty on the chickens from the chemical company. Please stop testing the chickens.Report
Halt all chemical and antibiotic use.Report
Stop using hazardous chemicals in processing US chicken.Report
Stop using chemicals in our chickens,and all of our foods. They are not needed, nor are they wanted. I’m tired of being poisoned, with my government’s o.k., just so someone can make more money, than they need.Report
Halt all chemical use now!Report
DISGUSTING INDUSTRY.Report
That is one reason I don’t eat red meat of any kind.Report
stop all the chemicals and antibiotics in chicken, please.Report
I want the USDA, the FDA and the EPA to stop the toxicity in our environment — the food grown here is totally lacking in nutrition thanks to all the pesticides, herbecides and fungicides, the air & water quality is atrocious and these agencies that are supposed to protect us from environmental harm are working for the pharmaceutical, chemical and fossil fuel ompanies,Report
We don’t need any more chemicals in our bodies. I don’t get why this is not being addressed by the people who are supposed to regulate this and why more people aren’t mad about this. I am a vegetarian patently for this very reason.Report
ATTENTION: USDA, the FDA and the EPA
Our food is being compromised… You are not doing your job. We are eating poisoned garbage… How do you sleep at night?Report
Our chicken should be just chicken. Not antibiotic and hormone treated, pesticide-soaked-grain fed, and washed in a chemical cocktail. That is disgusting and unhealthy.Report
This is disgusting.Report
The way these poor birds are treated makes my cry.Report
Just because I enjoy chicken does not mean I have to have the chemicals, like bleach, that are used to clean harvested birds. No chemicals used to treat chicken in the U.S.Report
I will and have only eaten organic food for 45 years and I am doing So for 65 more years . Chemicals are for labs , you are trying to kill Americans so you don’t have to pay Social Security and what you do to our food is Pure EvilReport
When are you folks going to get it? Clean food without pesticides, chemicals, etc are better for people, animals and the environment.Report
I feel we are slowly being poisoned. We need to work together to stop this.Report
i will quit buying chickens until they have no chemicals in themReport
This is absolutely disgusting not only for the poor chickens but also for the unlucky people who will eat them. This is exactly why I became a vegetarian!Report
Basta ya de intruducir productos químicos en los animales,ya sea antibióticos,cloro u otras sustancias.Cada vez mas,es preciso el uso
de químicos para proveer mayor cantidad de animales para una mayor producción,¿Pero cuál es el costo?Report
Chicken started tasting more and more awful throughout my adulthood. I always hated skinless chicken because it was tasteless.
Now I know why! Factory farming!Report
If they don’t then I ‘m moving out of state an country. At least I will be alive. And well.Report
This is totally unacceptable. Stop poisoning the human race with more chemicals!Report
Best solution is to stop eating meat entirely! That way you don’t support any of these companies and you get to save lives!Report
Food is important. The more natural the betterReport
healthy food – healthy lifeReport
our government allows the industry’s to do this!!!! another failure in the system to protect the consumer!!!! the American people!!!! WHY???Report
Stop using chemicals in our food. I want to eat a natural food.Report
No to chemicals in my food stop poisoning us even more then the governments are. I want good natural wholesome food.Report
NO TO CHEMICALS IN MY FOOD!Report
Please say no to chemicals in our food!! Everyone that I know wants to eat organic. non gmo, chemical, hormone, steroid and antibiotic free food. Please help us get back to real clean healthy foods. Think long and hard about the american people and not a handful of chemical companies filling up their wallets.Report
Please, no chemicals in our food. They are dangerous.Report
A lot of people around the world, including myself, don’t want chemicals in the food. They are absolutely disgusting and also potentially dangerous to their health. So, I want to join billions of people just to say no on chemical products in our food.Report
I also don’t want chemicals in my food and I’m allergic to so many chemicals now that it could become life threatening.
NO MORE CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY OR WATER.Report
Please, No more Chemicals in food.Report
Please stop the chemical in our food.Report
Stop putting poisons o our food.Report
noReport
Stop the chemicals in my food!Report
prevent easy: do not eat meat! the animals will Thank you!Report
DUH, why do you poison people?Report
Please stop murdering us. Eliminate all additives in our food!Report
Stop putting chemicals in our Food and vacations as well stop poisoning us with this crap.Report
Creator never meant for us to eat chemicals, why don’t we just eat chemicals instead of organics! We’re tired of these corporations poisoning us. That’s why I’m selective where I eat.Report
Stop addung chemicals to our food!Report