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Florida has launched an investigation into potassium bromate, a flour additive linked to cancer and other health concerns in animal studies and banned in several countries, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday.
The investigation will begin with subpoenas to General Mills and its subsidiary, Pillsbury, as state officials examine what companies knew about the ingredient, how it was marketed and where it was sold.
“It is likely still in the food that you, at home, eat,” Uthmeier said during a press conference. The additive may be found in “food that is sold at our schools, food that is being consumed by our children, and food that is likely very harmful to the human body.”
The investigation, launched under Florida’s consumer protection laws, will examine the supply chain for bromated products sold in the state.
The subpoenas seek information about the products, the companies’ largest Florida customers, disclosures made to purchasers, internal safety research and whether products containing the additive were sold to Florida schools.
“This investigation is about protecting Florida families and providing transparency to our consumers,” Uthmeier said in a news release. “Floridians have a right to know what is in the food they buy and feed their children.”
This morning, we launched an investigation into the use of potassium bromate in the food supply chain to protect Florida families and provide transparency to consumers.
Floridians have a right to know what is in the food they buy and feed their children!… pic.twitter.com/FFcF5JX6kk
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 13, 2026
General Mills and Pillsbury first to receive subpoenas
During a press conference, Uthmeier suggested his office will issue subpoenas to other companies.
“We will be starting with General Mills and their subsidiary Pillsbury, and the list will likely go on from there,” he said.
General Mills and Pillsbury sell several bromated flour products, including Pillsbury Potentate High Gluten Flour, Pillsbury Best Bakers Patent Flour, Gold Medal All Aces Bakery Flour and Gold Medal Superlative Bakers Flour.
Uthmeier emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages. “Nobody is getting sued today, yet,” he said. “We want to learn more information.”
He said Florida welcomes businesses but will not compromise on public health.
“We want to be a great state that’s welcoming to business opportunity and jobs,” Uthmeier said. “But at the end of the day, we will never forget about public safety. We want public safety. We want food security. We want good health for our children.”
Why potassium bromate is under scrutiny
Potassium bromate has been used in commercial baking for more than a century. Bakers add it to strengthen dough, produce lighter bread and extend shelf life.
It remains legal in the U.S. under federal regulations, but the European Union, Canada, China and India have banned it as a food additive.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says potassium bromate is typically converted into the harmless compound potassium bromide during proper baking. However, the American Chemical Society has noted that improper baking can leave residual potassium bromate in finished products.
Testing in the U.K. found detectable levels of potassium bromate after baking. Researchers reported measurable amounts in all six unwrapped breads they tested and in seven of 22 packaged breads.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has identified at least 670 products containing potassium bromate. On ingredient labels, it may appear as either “potassium bromate” or “bromated flour.”
Uthmeier said consumers should pay attention to foods that remain fresh for unusually long periods.
“When something is left on a shelf for weeks and weeks, and it’s still white and fluffy, probably should send up a little warning flag that there’s something in there that’s not going to be healthy for the human body,” he said.
Studies link potassium bromate to cancer, kidney damage and other health issues
Uthmeier said scientific evidence has linked potassium bromate to several serious health risks.
“There’s been sufficient evidence of ties to kidney, thyroid and abdominal cancer,” he said. “It is genotoxic, causing oxidative stress. It’s been linked to DNA damage and other cellular harms.”
Research on potassium bromate stretches back decades.
In 1999, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that potassium bromate was “possibly carcinogenic to humans” after reviewing studies showing it caused tumors in rats, mice and hamsters. The agency said evidence in humans was inadequate at the time.
Earlier studies reached similar conclusions. A 1990 review in Environmental Health Perspectives concluded that potassium bromate “is a complete carcinogen” in rats and reported evidence linking it to kidney tumors, thyroid tumors and mesotheliomas.
Long-term animal studies published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1983 and 1986 also found that rats receiving the highest doses of potassium bromate had the shortest survival times and developed tumors.
Other studies have associated potassium bromate exposure with kidney damage, hearing loss and inner ear damage, oxidative stress, DNA damage and neurobehavioral changes.
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Century-old additive faces growing scrutiny
Potassium bromate was patented for baking in 1914 and entered commercial use shortly afterward, before federal regulators evaluated food additives for safety.
The FDA authorized the use of potassium bromate in flour in 1966, according to the EWG.
Although the agency announced plans to review the additive in 1973, it is unclear whether that review was ever completed. EWG said the chemical has not undergone a modern FDA safety reassessment.
However, potassium bromate now appears on the FDA’s list of contaminants under review, last updated May 12.
States have increasingly moved ahead with their own restrictions.
California has required cancer warning labels on products containing potassium bromate since 1990 under Proposition 65. In 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act, which bans the manufacture, distribution and sale of foods containing potassium bromate beginning in 2027.
In April, New York lawmakers approved a similar ban, Pizza Today reported. If Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the bill, manufacturers and distributors will have one year to sell existing bromated flour inventories, while restaurants may continue using existing supplies until the flour expires.
According to the EWG, more than 20 states have introduced legislation addressing potassium bromate in recent years.
Even as states pursue restrictions, the baking industry has also begun voluntarily phasing out the additive.
In January, the American Bakers Association (ABA) pledged to eliminate potassium bromate from commercial baking nationwide by the end of the year.
“The commercial baking industry has already made significant progress” in reducing potassium bromate from baked goods, ABA President and CEO Eric Dell said when announcing the move. “This pledge reinforces our industry’s commitment to feeding the nation … and going beyond what is required.”
Also speaking at Uthmeier’s press conference, consumer advocate Rebekah Ricks, founder of Courage & Caffeine, argued that companies should face consequences if they knowingly sold harmful products.
“Legality should be the baseline … not the gold standard,” Ricks said. “If a company knowingly put something into their products that causes harm, we should be able to prosecute those companies. … They’re causing harm and [we] want to hold them accountable.”
Related articles in The Defender
- 50 Years of Research Confirms Serious Health Risks Linked to This Food Additive
- Is This Cancer-Causing Chemical in Your Bread?
- ‘Skittles Bill’: California to Ban 5 Food Additives Linked to Cancer, Hormone Disruption
- Additives, Glyphosate and Gluten: How U.S. Bread Ingredients Damage Gut Health
