ORLANDO, Fla. —
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in Orlando that his office is serving a subpoena on Performance Food Group, a national food distributor, over concerns about potassium bromate, a chemical additive in bread products.
Potassium bromate is a flour additive that strengthens dough, making it more elastic and whiter, while also extending shelf life. Uthmeier, along with doctors who spoke at the event, said the chemical can cause cancer and damage DNA.
California banned potassium bromate in 2023, while the European Union banned it in 1990. India followed suit 10 years ago, along with several other countries. Uthmeier questioned why the United States still allows the additive.
This subpoena follows a similar action taken by Uthmeier’s office over the summer against General Mills, which distributes Pillsbury products containing the same chemical.
“We have strong evidence that a lot of their products that are moving through the supply chain contain potassium bromate,” Uthmeier said. “Companies do this, look, they need this to sell in the aggregate, I get it. They wanna make money and they’re looking for lowest-cost options, but at the end of the day, we’re never gonna allow people here in Florida to choose profit over public safety,” he said.
The attorney general’s office is also seeking information on which companies purchase products from Performance Food Group. Uthmeier said that even if the additive isn’t banned, it must be labeled so consumers can read it before buying.
The office has requested records to be made available by Nov. 6.
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