Do you air chill your chicken?

We water chill our chicken, but our processor doesn't use a chlorine bath to do it. That puts us in the minority, since most chicken in the U.S. is processed with chlorine.
Here's why chlorine is so common: the USDA requires processors to use an intervention against salmonella during processing. Chlorine is the easiest and cheapest way to meet that requirement, so most processors use it.
Our processor takes a different approach. Instead of chlorine, they use peracetic acid (PAA) during the water bath, a certified organic ingredient that's essentially a mix of vinegar and peroxide. It's food grade, certified organic, and gets the job done without chlorine.

Updated on: 29/09/2026