Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed manufacturers of food products to stop using potassium bromate as an additive. The country’s apex food regulator clarified that its use as an additive in food products will not be permitted under any circumstances.
Potassium bromate is mostly used in making breads and is banned by the food authorities in most Western countries and regions, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Only the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) permits the use of potassium bromate. It is also used by flour mills for refined flour. But as per as USFDA rules, the use of potassium bromate is allowed in a prescribed limit, i e 0.0075 part for each 100 parts by weight of flour used.
Potassium bromate is classified as a Category 2B carcinogen. It is included in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of ingredients causing cancer.