Chlorinated chicken must be included in a post-Brexit trade deal, the US secretary of state has said.
Mike Pompeo insisted that the controversial agricultural products would make a “really good deal” for British shoppers.
In an interview with LBC Radio on Thursday, Mr Pompeo confirmed that Washington will demand the inclusion of the chemically-washed poultry, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting he will refuse the request if they lower standards.
Critics of using chlorine and other substances to strip bacteria from chicken say the process can be a "desperate attempt" to correct poorer hygiene standards earlier in the production process.
The practice is banned in the EU.
Donald Trump's administration wishes to eliminate or reduce the barrier to exporting agricultural products to the UK in a trade deal to be brokered after the UK leaves the EU on Friday.
Asked if the row over the chlorine-washed chicken would be “the biggest barrier” to a deal, Mr Pompeo agreed the issue would be “real contentious” but warned US farmers would demand it.
“Our ask will be as it has been in the other negotiations,” he said.
“We need to be open and honest about competitiveness.
“We need to make sure we don’t use food safety as a ruse to try and protect a particular industry.”
Mr Pompeo added that the biggest winners would be “consumers who are going to be the net beneficiaries of these really good deals”.
The state secretary said he hoped that by late summer the two sides would have made substantial progress in talks, before they move on to the most difficult issues.
He described his trip to London as the "starting gun" for a new phase in cooperation between the two countries.
