What is chlorinated chicken?

We hear a lot in the news at the moment about chlorinated chicken and the possibility of it appearing on our supermarket shelves in a potential trade deal with the US. But what is chlorinated chicken exactly and should we be worried about it?

In the US, once the chickens have been slaughtered and gutted, they are examined and then undergo a final chemical washing process to remove any harmful bacteria. This process can also be known as Pathogen