I have been in dozens of meat processing plants, mainly poultry. Peroxyacetic acid, PAA was only used in a few but that was 10 years ago. By far the majority use chlorine. Our product was a food grade acid product and I would work with plants to slightly acidify their process water. Having a pH about 5 - 5.5 make the chlorine take the form of hypochloris acid which has far better antimicrobial capability, almost instant kill. Max total chlorine level in process water is 50ppm.
In fresh cut produce PAA is more popular for some reason. The efficacy is questionable, just look at all the problems with ecoli, salmonella and the like in lettuce, onions, etc.. I have been in a few freshcut plants to look at replacing PAA. Another option is just low pH. If you drop the pH below about 4.5 everything dies. That's how they make a lot of stuff shelf stable these days. They key is to lower the pH without adversely affecting the taste. I've help on a lot of studies and trials for food sanitation in food processing. Plants spend a lot of time, effort, and money trying to meet FDA and USDA requirements.
At the food manufacturing facilities to which I'd be sent as a skilled trade I would get to know the workers & supervisors and government inspectors. I would drive them nuts with questions (although I think they appreciated the interest).
I remember being told the PAA is far less expensive than hydrogen peroxide. It was considered safer than irradiation at the time. But, as 68BUcks mentioned, the efficacy is questionable unless used exactly as required for each and every product and the cut. The over-worked, no benefit minimum wage workers weren't all that concerned. Some customers required hydrogen peroxide. Others required lowest price.
Poultry processing & prep is not all that convincing. Then, with chicken, the "magic" happens to make the poultry a lovely shade of yellow. Dead chickens are grey, not yellow.
At home we thoroughly wash fresh poultry and let it air to hopefully dissipate residual chlorine. And, if it's not grey, we won't buy it.
Ground beef prcessing is just, plain nasty. One glaring example = Ammonia gas forced into water is added when the customer wants a longer shelf life for frozen. And whatever the chemical they use in the warm bath that spins the fat out smells like something that I would never eat. The drums and dispensing equipment has all kinds of warning labels about contact with eyes, skin and mouth. And, of course, the carbon dioxide tunnel for the lovely pink color is ridiculous.
After the fat is removed, fat is added back to the customer's specification. (80/20, 95/5, 70/30). No big deal except that fat isn;t necessarily the same age as the beef. Also, and I very much doubt that this is common practice, but a plant in which I worked would use the cheapest fat. Even pork was used if it was cheap. That is very unfair to people who keep Kosher or follow Halal guidelines. (Once they got caught adding kangaroo fat. Thankfully that train car load was destroyed before being sold.)
Mind you that USDA inspectors are on site during all beef processing.
I don't know if it is still legal, but meat processing plants could add trans fats to gorund beef. At the time it was the only food where trans fats were still allowed.
Beef? No Thanks.
Poultry? With knowledge
Fish? I don't want to know!
