After more than a decade running a Brooklyn pizzeria, Salvatore Lo Duca says he found cause to experiment with a key ingredient in the thin-crust pies his family has made for years. Lo Duca said he discovered that bromated flour used in his dough included potassium bromate, a flour additive that is already banned in much of the world and is now the subject of a New York bill passed by state lawmakers and pending Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
The additive is used in flour to change how dough behaves during production. In New York, the prospect of a potassium bromate ban is already raising questions for pizzerias and bagel shops about cost, product texture, and how quickly recipes can be adjusted to maintain long-established styles.
“I actually took a liking to it,” Lo Duca said, describing his switch to a different flour after he began tweaking the recipe in the back kitchen of Lo Duca Pizza. He said it was more expensive but that the quality was still there, as he sought to preserve the outcome customers expect from the shop’s thin crust.
Pizzerias and bagel shops are watching the bill closely because potassium bromate reduces dough rest time and helps ensure a stronger, chewier result, according to the account in the proposal’s debate. Scott Wiener, a pizza historian who leads tours of notable slice shops, said in an interview that the ingredient is tied to “the identity of the slice,” describing the change as a major shift for how New York pizza is made.
Wiener estimated that around 80% of pizza and bagel shops rely on a flour that contains the oxidizing agent. He said General Mills sells a version of unbromated flour, though he noted that other alternatives can cost more, a factor he said could make the transition harder for neighborhood shops.
For Jesse Spellman, the second-generation owner of Utopia Bagels, the coming changes would likely require more than swapping flour. Spellman said in an interview that “you could achieve that same bagel texture, but it’s a lot more work and it’s going to be a lot more expensive,” adding that he has already been adjusting his family recipe, including experimenting with yeast concentrations and rise time, ahead of any possible law.
Spellman said the process will not be immediate, telling reporters that “It’s going to take some time to get a product that we’re happy with.” The bill’s backers and critics agree on one point: reformulating could affect the end product, even if the precise impact varies by recipe and shop.
Supporters of the proposed ban point to health concerns and argue that the additive’s widespread removal elsewhere shows it is manageable. Erik Millstone, a professor of science policy at the University of Sussex focused on health impacts of chemicals in food, said from a consumer perspective that there is “nothing good about potassium bromate” and said studies going back to the 1980s have shown it can cause cancer in laboratory animals, including “perfectly reasonable” doses.
Millstone also framed the choice as one between diet and risk, saying that “Most well-informed people would prioritize a long healthy life over a slightly softer and more soluble bun.” In the same debate, Wiener argued that moving away from bromated flour could ultimately improve slices by giving bakers more time for dough to ferment.
“In Wiener’s view, the move away from bromated flour could ultimately improve the quality of slices across the city,” the account said, quoting him about what that longer process would mean for consumers. Wiener said that without fast turnaround for dough production, shops would produce “more well-fermented doughs,” which he said would lead to lighter pizzas that are easier to eat and leave customers with “less of a stomachache,” while noting that “It will require more of a process.”
Alongside recipe discussions, the bill’s timeline and enforcement details are part of the uncertainty. If legislation passes, businesses would have a one-year grace period to continue using the additive and additional time to use up unexpired bags, according to the account, and Hochul’s office said she will review the bill.
The proposed ban is also drawing attention beyond New York as bakers and pizza-focused accounts weigh the change against the health debate. In an Instagram post described in the report, DoughBoyz owner Mario Mangilia said pizza in Florida was “officially better than pizza in New York” while criticizing any idea of changing dough recipes, then appeared to soften his stance after being confronted by prominent pizza accounts about potassium bromate’s health concerns.
When pressed by a Long Island-based pizza owner, Mangilia told him he would “test some different flour out to check it out,” offering a glimpse of the practical response many shops may take if a state ban becomes reality: try new flours, adjust methods, and see whether the familiar texture can be preserved.