Russia to ban US imports of poultry meat treated with chlorine

A new technical regulation prohibiting imports of poultry meat treated with chlorine of a certain concentration could see an embargo being put on such imports from the U.S. to Russia, FoodBizDaily reported. Russia is the largest importer of poultry meat from the U.S.
The new rules, which may be implemented before year-end, are not expected to affect the Russian poultry market as its production is growing, Vladimir Fisinin, the president of Rosptitsesoyuz (Russian Poultry Union), was quoted as saying. U.S. companies that are not applying chlorine treatment for poultry can be added to the list of authorized suppliers, he added.
The move is being seen as a political step as there is no evidence that chlorine-treated meat is dangerous for Russian consumers, said Sergey Yushin, head of the executive committee of the Russian Meat Association.