By Adam
Bread is under attack. What was once assumed to be a staple of the American diet is now a controversial food choice.
First, it was the gluten in the bread that got all the negative press.
Now the bad news for bread lovers is that bread with this in it could be linked to cancer.
Yes, it really is that serious.
In fact, the ingredient you’re about to learn about is so dangerous that much of Europe prohibits bakers from keeping it in their bakeshops or warehouses.
And yet, here in the “land of the free,” corporations are driven forward with profits as their only concern are still allowed to put generous amounts of this carcinogenic ingredient in their products.
Environmental Working Group Urges Bread Lovers to Check The Ingredients On Their Bread
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), one of the leading health advocacy organizations in America is urging Americans to check and see if the bread they eat has potassium bromate in it.
While still accepted as safe to use by the USDA and the FDA, the EWG warns that even trace amounts of potassium bromate could cause health issues, including the development of certain cancers.
Bread makers put potassium bromate in their flour mix for several reasons. It helps to accelerate how quickly ingredients mix while also making a stronger dough.
The FDA is aware that potassium bromate could cause health issues. After all, it’s been more than 30 years since potassium bromate was discovered to be a risk to human health.
In the EWG’s report, they detailed just how risky it is to add potassium bromate to food.
They wrote, “In tests on lab animals, exposure to potassium bromate increased the incidence of both benign and malignant tumors in the thyroid and peritoneum – the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. Later research confirmed and expanded these findings, concluding that ingesting potassium bromate resulted in significant increases in cancer of the animals’ kidneys, thyroid, and other organs.”
The FDA insists that potassium bromate isn’t a risk to human health.
According to them, when food makers use the ingredient correctly, potassium bromate will convert into potassium bromide during baking. Potassium bromide, they conclude, is harmless and shouldn’t pose a threat to consumers.
Thus, there is no ban on potassium bromate, and the FDA says it should be up to the manufacturer as to whether or not they will continue or cease using the ingredient.
According to them if the levels of potassium bromate they use don’t exceed .0075 parts for every 100 parts of the weight of the flour or 750 parts per million, then it’s fine to use.
It’s scary to think that the FDA would let them continue using bromated flour given the substantial risk associated with the ingredient.
Fortunately, Consumers Do Have Options
The good news is that even though potassium bromate might be in the majority of store-bought bread products, there are plenty of companies who’ve decided to discontinue using bromate in their bread.
More than 100 large bread makers nationally have sworn not to use the product anymore knowing the health concerns it poses.
If you’re concerned about the risk all you need to do is check the ingredient list on the bread you buy to see if it’s in your bread or bread products.
The companies who use it are required by law to disclose this information so consumers can make informed decisions regarding their products.
