Flour bleaching: over a century of health risks and controversies

Abstract For over a century, flour bleaching agents—chlorine gas, benzoyl peroxide (BPO), and nitrogen peroxide—have transformed a dietary staple into a public health gamble. Originating in 1901 England to mimic “naturally aged” flour, these chemicals degrade nutrients like vitamins E and A, generate carcinogenic free radicals, and leave residues linked to liver damage and chronic inflammation. Despite early warnings and bans in the EU, UK, China, and Turkey, the U.S. perpetuates this practice, shielded by a 1914 Supreme Court ruling (United States v. Lexington Mill) that legalized toxic additives if “not immediately harmful.” While studies condemn BPO’s cytotoxicity and tumor-promoting effects, U.S. regulators prioritize industrial convenience, dismissing risks like oxidative stress and cardiac failure observed in livestock. This global divide—health-protective bans versus profit-driven leniency—exposes a food system where “whitened” flour masks a legacy of corporate negligence. When will bread cease being a vector of benzoic acid and policy failure?