School meals reach nearly 30 million children a day through the National School Lunch Program, according to the USDA. Within that system, some bread and baked goods can still contain potassium bromate, a dough additive that has been banned or restricted in more than 40 countries and was targeted by California in 2023.
What ingredient is still showing up in school food
Potassium bromate is a flour improver used in some breads, rolls, pizza crusts, and buns to strengthen dough and help it rise, according to the FDA. The agency still allows its use in the US as long as manufacturers follow federal food additive rules, even though the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified potassium bromate as a possible human carcinogen.
California changed that debate on October 13, 2023, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act. The law bans brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red Dye No. 3 from foods sold in the state starting in 2027, according to the governor’s office and the text of the law.
That did not create a nationwide school lunch ban. The USDA has not announced a national prohibition on potassium bromate in school meals, and the FDA has not revoked its federal approval. That means products made with the additive can still legally be purchased by districts in states where no separate restriction applies.
What this means for schools and families in the US
The federal government does not publish a running national list of school lunch items containing potassium bromate. School districts usually buy bread products through regional distributors and private vendors, and ingredient lists can vary by contract, brand, and state, according to standard district procurement records.
That leaves a patchwork system. In California, foods sold after the 2027 effective date will have to comply with the state ban, including products that may end up in school cafeterias. In other states, whether students are served bromated bread can depend on the district’s supplier and whether a manufacturer has already reformulated.
Major food companies have already moved away from potassium bromate in many products sold to US consumers. But districts and parents often need to check product specifications, bid sheets, or school nutrition documents to see what is actually being purchased, because no federal database currently identifies every bromated item served in K-12 cafeterias.
Why the US still allows it while other countries do not
The policy gap comes from different regulatory systems. The European Union, the United Kingdom, China, India, and many other countries do not permit potassium bromate in food, while the FDA has continued to allow it in the US under older food additive rules first put in place decades ago.
Health concerns have been debated for years. The International Agency for Research on Cancer placed potassium bromate in Group 2B, meaning possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on animal evidence. The FDA has said for years that bakers should voluntarily stop using it, but it has not imposed a nationwide ban.
For families, the immediate change is limited and depends on where a child goes to school. California’s 2023 law set a clear deadline of 2027, while most other states still follow federal rules. Unless more states act or the FDA changes its position, potassium bromate can remain in some school bread products served to American children.
