Chinese Chickens May Soon be Available to US Consumers

Chickens raised and slaughtered in China could be sold in U.S. grocery stores as soon as a year from now, Al Almanza, administrator of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says.

He's in China this week and will discuss the issue with Chinese officials, Politico reports.

Last week the USDA gave the go-ahead for four Chinese plants to start processing chicken raised in the U.S. and selling it back to the United States.

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Agriculture Department officials also have been inspecting Chinese slaughtering facilities to make sure they are up to snuff for China to sell its own chickens in the United States, Almanza said.

But given China's historical problems with food safety, health advocates in the United States are worried about any chicken coming here from China – whether it was raised here or there, according to Politico.

Almanza said Chinese plants need to do more to bring their safety standards up to U.S. levels before the USDA will approve U.S. imports of China's own chicken. "What I can tell them is that there are some issues that still need to be addressed," he said.