Potassium Bromate (Bread)

Potassium bromate is a potent dough strengthener and rising aid used in American bread flour, yet it is banned across the EU, UK, Canada, Brazil, China, India, and most developed nations since the 1990s. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as a Group 2B possible human carcinogen, and California mandates a Prop 65 cancer warning on bromated flour products. Despite the FDA's 1991 voluntary recommendation to stop using it, many commercial bakeries persist. Outperforming #2 in global health consensus, this additive is notably absent from major brands like Pepperidge Farm, King Arthur, and Whole Foods, but remains in others.