Packaged salads are often pre-washed, the US ambassador urged the government to extend this treatment to chicken

President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Britain has fired an opening shot in the forthcoming trade negotiations by insisting that chlorine-washed chicken should not be banned from the UK.

In a letter published today in The Sunday Times, Woody Johnson said that the Food Standards Agency has approved antimicrobial washes for pre-washed salads in the UK, and urged the government to extend this treatment to chicken.

In an opening salvo ahead of the start of formal trade talks, Johnson writes: “When it comes to antimicrobial washes, the European Food Safety Authority agrees they are the most effective and economical way to fight foodborne illness, particularly campylobacter.

“Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK and most Brits contract it from contaminated