UK supermarkets have been urged to provide a public commitment to never stock lower-standard US food imports.
Campaign group 38 Degrees has written to the mults with a petition signed by 75,000 people that requests the retailers rule out products like chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef.
The letter said that stocking these products would be a “red line” for British consumers and has set a deadline of 2 February for retailers to confirm their position.
The campaign highlights three critical concerns: animal welfare, public health and supporting British farmers.
“In 2020, many supermarkets listened to their customers and promised to keep these substandard products off their shelves,” said Veronica Hawking, campaigns director at 38 Degrees. “But five years on, with renewed pressure for a US trade deal, the British public needs fresh, iron-cast reassurance that those promises haven’t wavered.”
This comes as part of a wider national campaign from 38 Degrees to protect British food standards involving 151,000 people.
New polling from 38 Degrees found that over two-thirds (68%) of UK adults oppose allowing chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated meat into supermarkets to secure a US-UK tech deal, while only 9% support it.
The opposition spans the political spectrum, including 78% of 2024 Labour voters, 75% of Conservative voters and 63% of Reform voters, which the campaign group said showed that protecting food standards was a point of consensus among the British public.
“This is about more than just a label – it’s about animal welfare, the health of our families, and the survival of British farming,” added Hawking. “We’re asking supermarkets to stand with their customers and commit to a future where high standards are the only standard.”
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