It's the Brian Lear Show on WNYC. I'm Amina Surna filling in for Brian today. You don't need me to tell you that New Yorkers have strong opinions about their bagels and

pizza.

This story may test some of them.

If you've ever wondered why a New York bagel tastes different from a bagel you get anywhere

else in the country, chewier and denser, part of the answer might be the use of a chemical

called potassium bromate.

It's a flour additive that's been used by commercial bakers for decades to strengthen dough

and improve the texture.

It also happens to be classified as a possible human carcinogen, and it's been banned from the European Union,

the United Kingdom, Canada, and several other countries.

New York State is now considering joining them.

So will our beloved pizza and bagels be knocked down a peg?

We'll spend the last few minutes of the show today

talking about this with Julia Moskin,

food reporter for the New York Times, and we will take your calls.

Julia, welcome back to WMIC.

Thank you so much.

And listeners, we want to hear from you.

If you make pizza or bagels for a living and you're listening right now, we want to hear from you.

What does bromated flour actually

mean to your operation? Would you welcome this ban or does it worry you? And more broadly,

New Yorkers, how much does it matter to you that your bagels taste like New York bagels?

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