FSSAI's decision to ban 'cancerous' potassium bromate as a food additive

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Tuesday welcomed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) decision to disallow the use of potassium bromate as an additive in food products.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Tuesday welcomed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) decision to disallow the use of potassium bromate as an additive in food products. CSE had on Monday released a report which said that Indian bread manufacturers use potassium bromate and potassium iodate for treating flour while making bread. Potassium bromate is known to be a category 2B carcinogen and is already banned in Britain, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka, among others. (Read: CSE says the bread you eat is laced with hazardous chemicals like potassium bromate or iodate)

The CSE also welcomed the food safety authority s decision to evaluate use of potassium iodate -- which may trigger thyroid disorders -- in bread-making. The FSSAI had on Monday said that it was already considering to take potassium bromate off the list of permitted additives as per the recommendation of a scientific panel. The FSSAI said it was also examining the evidence against potassium iodate before taking any decision on disallowing its use. (Read: This is what the doctors and nutritionists have to say about carcinogens in your bread)

We welcome the steps initiated by FSSAI to ban potassium bromate and evaluate the use of potassium iodate. We hope a ban on potassium iodate will follow. The authority s quick response to what we found in our study re-establishes our stand that public health must remain a priority, said CSE deputy director general Chandra Bhushan. (Read: Only permissible chemicals used for bakery products: Assocham)