China has no mandatory standard on meat-processing chlorine

China has set no compulsory standard for the amount of chlorine in the solution used for the processing of poultry meat, said an executive for a meat processor in the country, in response to Russia's ban on poultry products made by Gerber Products.

Gerber Products last week was banned from selling four kinds of its poultry products in Russia, over the European country's new safety requirements. Gerber Products, the biggest US baby food maker, also sells chicken sausage and minced vegetable-chicken meat in China.

Food makers in China are entitled to choose chlorine dioxide or sodium hypochlorite, in any amount, for disinfection, according to the executive, noting that the country, whose food processing standard is less detailed, is working to strengthen safety requirements to tighten control over food security. At the moment, chlorine is widely-used for the disinfection of daily-life and drinking water in the country.