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A public interest writ has been filed with the High Court seeking a ban on the use of the cancer-causing chemical potassium bromate in bread production and a directive requiring manufacturers to declare on every bread package that “Potassium Bromate Has Not Been Used.”
The petition was filed on Sunday by Kabir Alomgir, chairman of the Movement for Human Rights and Good Governance Foundation (MHRGF), through the relevant branch of the High Court.
The respondents include the food secretary, the director general of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the director general of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the president of the Bangladesh Auto Biscuit and Bread Manufacturing Association, and the managing directors of several leading bakery and food manufacturing companies.
The writ also seeks mandatory disclosure of the full list of ingredients on bread packaging, enforcement of the “potassium bromate-free” declaration, and effective measures to prevent the use of the chemical in bakery products.
After filing the petition, Alomgir said the move was prompted by recent media reports that detected cancer-causing substances in bread. He noted that potassium bromate has been banned in nearly 40 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
Although the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) banned the use of potassium bromate in food products in 2022, allegations persist that it is still being used in some bakeries, he said, stressing the need for stricter monitoring to ensure food safety.
The petition states that millions of people in Bangladesh remain exposed to adulterated and unsafe food, contributing to rising cancer cases and other health risks. It also warns that inadequate quality control in bakery production has further increased public health concerns.
Petitioner’s lawyer Sanjoy Mondal said many families are driven into financial hardship due to the high cost of cancer treatment, adding that the writ aims to prevent carcinogenic substances from entering the food supply.
He said the matter could be heard by a High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan later this week.
The petition refers to a 2021 BFSA study that found excessive levels of potassium bromate in 16 out of 19 bread samples collected from different parts of Dhaka. Based on those findings, the authority prohibited the use of potassium bromate (KBrO₃) and potassium iodate (KIO₃) in bread and other bakery products.
According to the BFSA, potassium bromate is a Group 2B carcinogen that may increase the risk of cancer, cause genetic mutations, affect the thyroid gland, and lead to health problems including diarrhoea, nausea and gastrointestinal disorders.
The petition also cites BFSA data showing that some bread samples collected in 2025 still contained potassium bromate. In addition, certain samples were found to contain calcium propionate above the permitted limit, posing further health risks.
Although BSTI had allowed limited use of potassium bromate under its 2016 standard, it completely banned the chemical, along with potassium iodate, in bread and bakery products in 2018 following international research and global regulatory actions.