ICYMI: Pizzaioli to Gov Hochul: You Don't Need Bromate to Make Pizza NY Style

ALBANY, NY (10/29/2026) (readMedia)-- Amid longstanding food safety gaps and a lax FDA, a group of pizzamakers from Queens, Brooklyn, and Westchester are urging Governor Hochul to sign the Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act (S1239F/A1556G) into law and bring New York's pizza standards in line with its birthplace: Italy. Sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles, the legislation would strengthen consumer transparency and ban three harmful food additives linked to cancer and hormone disruption, including potassium bromate - a dough conditioner used in baked goods like pizza and bagels that's already banned in Italy and more than 40 other countries.

In case you missed it:

• As reported in QNS today, Austin Street Pizza owner Chris Cutillo strictly uses unbromated flour at his shop because of its flavor: "I actually get a lot of children that won't eat pizza with the other [bromated] flour, and they drag their parents out here."
  
  
• Times Union's Capitol Confidential newsletter recapped Pizza Fenice owner John Gristina's plea to Governor Hochul urging her to "kick cancer out of New York pizza."
  
  
• Politico's Weekly NY Healthcare newsletter previewed a new five-figure ad campaign from the Center for Science in the Public Interest featuring pizzamakers and mothers urging Governor Hochul to sign the bill and protect New Yorkers' health.
  
• The Yonkers Times also covered CSPI's latest ad campaign. As Best Pizza owner Frank Pinello put it, "It's [potassium bromate] a carcinogen that's already banned in Italy, the pizza capital of the world. It doesn't belong in New Yorkers' pizza either."

This week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest launched an ad campaign featuring pizzamakers Frank Pinello and John Gristina, and mothers Liuba Grechen Shirley, Pastor Sharmaine Byrd, and Afsana Haque sounding the alarm about the need for greater food transparency. The ads will run across social media, amplifying growing public support for the bill and longstanding concerns among parents and business owners about the dangers hiding in the food supply.

BACKGROUND

The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act (S1239F/A1556G): Ends the secrecy of a federal loophole that allows companies to self-designate their ingredients as "generally recognized as safe" or GRAS without adequate FDA oversight. The bill prohibits the use of three harmful additives in foods sold statewide and requires companies to disclose evidence confirming the safety of food chemicals that bypass the FDA's safety review. By mandating transparency requirements for chemical use in foods and eliminating unsafe additives, the bill aims to improve health outcomes and protect New York consumers from health harms like cancer and developmental delays.

Why Food Safety Regulation Is Urgent:

• Dangers in the Nation's Food Supply: Americans are regularly exposed to food chemicals that have been banned throughout the European Union, Canada, China, and other countries due to known health risks. Additives like Red No. 3, potassium bromate, and propylparaben have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and other serious conditions – yet they remain legal and widely used in most U.S. states.
• Federal Inaction: According to a 2024 American Journal of Public Health analysis, the FDA rarely re-evaluates or revokes GRAS status, even as new research raises concerns about the safety of long-approved chemicals. Simultaneously, the FDA's food safety program has been severely weakened by ongoing layoffs and structural reforms, limiting its ability to inspect, regulate, or enforce food safety standards.
• Chronic Disease Risk: With rates of cancer, developmental disorders, and hormone-related illnesses on the rise, public health experts have warned that continued exposure to toxic food additives could further exacerbate health inequities and drive long-term costs to the healthcare system. The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act offers New York an opportunity to lead in protecting its residents - especially children - from preventable harm.

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