This reckless use of chemicals is not just a risk because of the exposure to the chlorine by poultry workers and consumers; the use of these chemicals is done as an end-of-production “solution” to having bad hygiene and engaging in inhumane practices regarding their chickens during rearing and slaughter. It would be safer and more efficient for poultry facilities to fight bacteria at each stage of animal farming, rather than attempting to douse the already-infected animal in chemicals.
When flour is bleached in this speedy process, it also creates a byproduct called alloxan. Alloxan is used in labs to give healthy lab rats diabetes for experiments and the FDA still allows the processes that produce alloxan in flour to be used in food. Bleaching flour also significantly reduces the number of nutrients found in flour, such as calcium, iron, and B vitamins.