New York pizza-lovers offered a mixed-topping of reactions on Wednesday as lawmakers move to ban a common dough ingredient they say causes cancer.
Pie shop owners assured customers they’re unlikely to taste a difference if the bill is signed into law while patrons were clueless or unfazed about the possible harms of potassium bromate, an additive commonly used in flour to help dough rise and appear whiter.
“Now pizza is causing cancer?” said Paul Cooper, a baffled 37-year-old Brooklynite as he downed a slice at Ben’s Pizzeria in the West Village Wednesday.
“You’ve ruined my grandma slice, but I don’t care. I’m going to eat it anyway,” he told The Post. “I don’t care. I’m committed to my grandma slice.”
Cooper was one of numerous diners who were perplexed upon learning the state Assembly on April 21 passed the Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act — legislation that will ban potassium bromate.
Studies have found that potassium bromate — also commonly used in bagels — has been found to cause cancer and kidney damage. Several other food additives bans are also in the bill.
The measure mirrors bans already in place in California, the United Kingdom and the entire European Union, and is awaiting Gov. Kathy’s Hochul’s signature to come into law.
Most customers in Manhattan seemed to have no idea what potassium bromate is, or that it’s commonly found in pizza.
But many New Yorkers felt that if the additive causes cancer, they were fine with it being banned.
“It would be nice if they did,” a diner named Malcolm said after enjoying a slice of white pizza downtown.
“They always say it’s the water in New York that makes the pizza so good, anyways” he added.
A number of pizza makers seemed also to have no knowledge about the additive, though the manager at John’s of Bleecker Street insisted it’s in the flour used by “most pizzerias.”
“Everyone who says no is in denial. Most pizzerias in the city use potassium bromate in the flour,” the manager, Joey, said.
Some pizza joints have even begun experimenting with new ingredients in anticipation of the ban — and insisted their customers would be be hard-pressed to notice a difference.
“We’ve been experimenting,” said Adem Brija, owner of Patsy’s Pizzeria in East Harlem. “We already have flour without it that works exactly the same.”
“We’ve been using the other flour and there has been no change to our pizza,” he added. “There has not been one customer commenting ‘Oh, this pizza is different’ or anything. It looks the same, it tastes the same. We’ve been preparing for it.”
“Listen, I invite you any time you want to try it and you tell me if you taste the change, but I’m certain you wouldn’t even know,” Brija added.
Still, others doubted the state’s claims of potassium bromide’s danger — and even claimed there was a greasy conspiracy afoot.
“The state will never tell you the truth. The truth is the pizzeria or any type of flour does not cause cancer,” an employee at Ben’s Pizzeria said.
“You can get cancer from a toothbrush. There’s more plastic that can come inside and cause cancer,” he added. “That’s the truth.”
