ALBANY, NEW YORK / Content Syndication Services / — New York’s proposed ban on potassium bromate has put one of the state’s best-known food traditions into a regulatory debate, with pizza makers, bagel shops and food safety advocates focused on a flour additive long used to strengthen dough. The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act would prohibit FD&C Red No. 3, potassium bromate and propylparaben in foods made, distributed or sold for human consumption in the state.
The measure, S1239F and A1556G, passed the New York State Senate on March 23 by a 60-0 vote and passed the New York State Assembly on April 21 by a 106-32 vote. The state bill tracker lists the proposal as passed by both chambers. It still requires action by Gov. Kathy Hochul before becoming law. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Anna Kelles.
Potassium bromate is used in some commercial flours as a dough strengthener and flour treatment agent. In pizza and bagel production, bromated flour can support structure, rise and consistency, especially in high-volume operations. Pizza historian Scott Wiener has estimated that bromated flour is used by about 80% of New York pizza and bagel shops, making the proposal especially relevant to two foods closely associated with the state’s identity.
Additive under scrutiny
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies potassium bromate as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on evidence from animal studies and limited evidence in people. The Food and Drug Administration lists potassium bromate as a food substance with technical effects including dough strengthening and flour treatment. The New York bill states that federal recognition of a listed substance as safe would not be a defense in an enforcement action under the proposed state law.
The proposal has drawn attention from bakseries and pizzerias because removing bromated flour can require changes in flour sourcing, mixing, fermentation and handling. Some operators already use unbromated flour and have described quality benefits from longer fermentation and revised dough procedures. Others, including bagel businesses that rely on chew and uniform production, have said matching established texture without the additive can require more labor, testing and cost control.
Bakers assess reformulation
The bill includes delayed implementation and sell-through provisions. Its text would allow certain retailers, food service establishments, groceries, specialty food stores, farmers markets and relief organizations to sell covered products acquired before the effective date until the printed expiration, best-by or sell-by date, subject to a statutory outer limit. The measure also creates a reporting system for substances that companies designate internally as generally recognized as safe and do not disclose to federal regulators.
The legislation would require those safety submissions to be made to New York regulators and placed in a public database, with limited redactions for trade secrets. California enacted a similar prohibition in 2023 covering potassium bromate, Red Dye 3, propylparaben and brominated vegetable oil, with enforcement beginning in 2027. In New York, the current proposal keeps potassium bromate at the center of a wider debate over food additives, state oversight and the future production standards for pizza and bagels.