Florida AG Investigates Flour Ingredient Linked to Cancer

Ryan, Dana, and Read Shepherd discuss Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launching an investigation into the widespread use of potassium bromate, a flour additive linked to cancer concerns.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Ryan Gorman Show podcast presented by Verah and Farah
Accident Attorneys, Tampa.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good Morning, Read, Good morning Ryan, Good morning Dana. Well
up until this morning, I gotta admit I have never
heard of potassium bromate.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Oh it's delicious.

Speaker 4 (00:18):
Yes, I'm sure a lot of it probably, and it
may be killing you.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Read. And as a matter of fact, Dana, I got
to give you your props. I listened to you, you know,
last hour, talk about potassium bromate in your trending stories,
and I thought, okay, you know, like I'm taking notes along,
you know, like, okay, this is it's what this is.
But nonetheless, what we've got is Attorney General James Offmeyer
has announced of poenas against multiple companies, places like General

(00:45):
Mills and Pillsbury. This is an additive that is put
into flour. But while it does a lot of great
things like make your bread taste a little better, it's
also potentially linked to kidney disease and other health risks.
This is part of what off Meyer had to say.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Pursue it to our authorities under the you know, Unfair
Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
We're going to look at how these products are marketed
and sold to families. So he says his office is
investigating this compound. It's sold in flowers in the United States.
It makes flour fluffy white and lasts longer on the shelves.
But there's also a potential kidney issue and interestingly enough,

(01:30):
DNA concerns as well.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
Yeah, it can also cause hearing loss in large doses
and in mice. It's been linked to tumors in cancer.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, all right, so you know, tumors, we hearing loss
and all of that. I mean, well, we're gonna have
you know, thin like brown looking bread that lasts like
a couple of days, that doesn't taste very good.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
I mean, oh, you know what.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
I was thinking about though. So, so this compound is
banned insite. It's banned in the UK, it's banned in Canada.
And I said this with all of the people coming
over here from Europe and trying our food and how
good it is, freaking out. This is why, because all
the stuff that makes it taste so good is banned
in other countries. Well, we have so much cancer here,
way more than other countries. And I think, like, this

(02:19):
is why, because we've got all this stuff that causes cancer.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
But that wonder bread.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
It's worth it.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
I know, so good you can. Here's my thing, cupcakes.
Is this really what the Attorney General needs to be
focused on and working on here in Florida? I mean,
isn't this like something that Robert F. Kennedy Junior should
be dealing with at the at the federal level.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, part of what off Meyer is about here is
ban house is banning this stuff from food served in schools.

Speaker 4 (02:50):
Okay, yeah, here in the state of Florida, which I
don't think is a bad thing.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
It's no now that that I get. Yeah, but that
would be something for the legislature to do. Not the
Attorney General, like he's doing this investigation like I don't know,
he launches a lot. I almost feel like he's launching
every investigation possible into everything possible except like the property

(03:14):
insurance company, right.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
Yeah, because he's done all the social media, he's done that.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
I think, you know, there's a case we made to
take this potassium bromate out, especially out of food served
in schools. But that's something for the legislature to do.
That's something for Health and Human Services and RFK Junior
to do. I just My one thing with this story
is this is what the Attorney General needs to be
spending his time on here in Florida, but generates headlines

(03:43):
there you go. I think that's part of it.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
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