In the case of the food cleaning sprays, I didn't use "generally regarded as safe" in the sense they use it for food additives, I meant it in the plain English sense. The list of acceptable sprays is codified by the FDA and both the US and EU food safety organizations acknowledge that the risk of public health because of them is negligibly low. That's why the EU also uses the same sprays, just not for poultry specifically. Our standards are otherwise completely compatible .

I'm not saying there aren't gross things in our food system, or things we allow that others don't. I'm saying the poultry thing isn't one of them, and the reputation our food system has as a disgusting free for all is unwarranted.