U.S. Food Additives Banned in Europe: Found in What Americans Eat Everyday

From baguettes to focaccia, Europe is famous for its bread. But there’s one ingredient conspicuously missing: Potassium bromate. It’s a suspected carcinogen that’s banned for human consumption in Europe, China, and India, but not in the United States.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is used by some food makers, usually in the form of fine crystals or powder, to strengthen dough. It is estimated to be present in more than 100 products.

“There is evidence that it may be toxic to human consumers, that it may even either initiate or promote the development of tumors,” Professor Erik Millstone, an expert on food additives at England’s University of Sussex, told CBS News. He said European regulators take a much more cautious approach to food safety than their U.S. counterparts.

Asked if it can be said with certainty that differences in regulations mean people in the U.S. have developed cancers that they would not have developed if they’d been eating exclusively in Europe, Millstone said that was “almost certainly the conclusion that we could reach.”

It’s not just potassium bromate. A range of other chemicals and substances banned in Europe over health concerns are also permitted in the U.S., including Titanium dioxide (also known as E171); Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) (E443); Potassium bromate (E924); Azodicarbonamide (E927a) and Propylparaben (E217).

Millstone, who’s spent almost half a century researching food and agriculture science, said most Americans were likely completely unaware that they were being exposed on a daily basis to substances in their food viewed as dangerous in Europe.

“They probably just think, ‘Well, if it’s available or it’s in the store, it’s probably fine,’” he said.

In a statement to CBS News, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said all food additives require “pre-market evaluation” and “regulations require evidence that each substance is safe at its intended level of use before it may be added to foods.”

“Post-approval, our scientists continue to review relevant new information to determine whether there are safety questions and whether the use of such substance is no longer safe,” the agency added.

Stacy McNamara is from upstate New York, but she has lived in London for a decade. She said raising children in the U.K. had opened her eyes to what’s allowed in foods in the U.S.

McNamara has no plans to ever move back home, and she told CBS News that food safety was “for sure” a part of that decision.

In a statement to CBS News, the FDA said that when used properly, potassium bromate converts into a harmless substance during food production.

The FDA acknowledged, however, that not all of the compound used in any given recipe may convert during the production process, but that control measures were utilized to minimize the amount in final products.

Other toxic additives include:

Titanium Dioxide

“A recent example of a food additive being banned in the EU but allowed in the U.S. is titanium dioxide,” said Thomas Galligan, the principal scientist for food additives and supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI.

The European Food Safety Authority banned the ingredient last year because of concerns about potential connections to cancer, but the FDA has “not taken any action on titanium dioxide following the EFSA assessment,” he said.

European research determined that while the data is not conclusive, a cancer link could not be ruled out, which makes this additive concerning for daily use.

In the U.S., titanium dioxide is commonly used in salad dressings, coffee creamer and some white sauces.

Azodicarbonamide

Azodicarbonamide, sometimes found in bread and rolls, is used as a bleaching agent and flour improver, according to CSPI.

The watchdog has recommended avoiding this additive because of two chemicals that can form when bread bakes.

The first is semicarbazide, “which caused cancers of the lung and blood vessels in mice,” CSPI said. The second is urethane, a known carcinogen.

Brominated Vegetable Oil

CSPI said that brominated vegetable oil is used to give a cloudy appearance to soft drinks like Mountain Dew, but the additive has been a topic of concern since the 1970s.

Brominated vegetable oil “is still poorly tested” today, the CSPI website said. It has been found to leave a residue on body fat, and it was linked to the deaths of two people who consumed very large amounts of the ingredient.

Potassium Iodate

Bread and rolls in the U.S. may also contain potassium iodate, a chemical intended to strengthen the foods, according to CSPI.

The additive is a kind of iodine, and studies show that too much iodine can cause issues like hypothyroidism.

In fact, the World Health Organization has warned against the use of potassium iodate in flour since 1965.

Potassium Bromate

You may find potassium bromate on the ingredient lists for your go-to sliced wheat bread or flour tortillas, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Bromate is known to cause cancer in animals, and the small amount that is used to create a more appealing crumb structure could have adverse effects on humans, too.

Food Dyes Aren’t Banned But Come With A Warning Overseas

“While not quite a ban, the EU requires that foods containing certain synthetic food dyes bear a warning label stating ‘may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,’” Galligan said. “But no such warning label is required in the U.S.”

Specifically, foods with synthetic dyes like Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 and Red No. 40 must have this label in the EU. Common foods with dyes include gelatin, fruit snacks, ice pops, bright candy and fruit juices.

The FDA still classifies food dyes as “very safe,” Galligan said. But he added that the “state of California finished their comprehensive report about food dyes” in 2021, with its findings suggesting that “synthetic food dyes can cause or exacerbate adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children.”