Both water and salt are toxic- in very high doses. Just about everything is toxic- if you consume enough of it. The parts per billion- let me repeat that, billion, that you see in baked goods have no meaning whatsoever.
But if, to me, there is not a benefit, why be exposed to a carcinogen, even in small amounts, if I don't need to be? Can you tell me anything about the dose response curve of potassium bromate when it comes to its' mutagenic and carcinogenic effects? Me neither. I am happy with the results I get with the flour that I use. Like you said, we are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals every day, why not eliminate those that we do not personally benefit from? You like the bleached and bromated flours, fine, then use them. But I find the attitude you take towards those who do not downright obnoxious and condescending.
And KA flours suck. As soon as you start working with real pizzeria flour, the difference is immediately recognizable. No one that gets the chance to use pizzeria flour ever goes back to KA. And if you think, for a second that KA's 'business model' is the PR speak that they put on their website, you're kidding yourself. They're big agribusiness and are just as in bed with Monsanto and just as evil as the rest of them.
For what I make, which is primarily breads, bagels, and Chicago style pizzas, KA flours are very good. I disagree with the blanket statement that their flours suck. They have much tighter specifications than any other well known flour company out there, and are therefore as consistent a product as you will find. Those specifications may not be ideal for the pizzas that you make, but the quality of the product does not "suck". Their AP flour makes for an excellent Chicago deep dish crust, and the KASL makes a kick-ass chewy, flavorful bagel. I do not make enough of other types of pizza that it would be worth getting a big bag of pizzeria flour, and I have yet to see a place that sells smaller amounts for anything I would want to pay. I don't own a pizzeria, I make pizza at home a few times a month.
As for the business model, yes, KA contracts with Con Agra and other producers that I have a major problem with. I wish that was not the case, but they are not big enough to do otherwise. They do control the specs of the flour that is grown and milled for them. They are an employee owned company that is consistently ranked as an excellent place to work, they have a reputation of treating employees very well, and they do a lot for communities in Vermont. So while they have ties to big agribusiness (which they are open about), they are certainly not "just as evil" as Monsanto.
So if there was a place where I could buy flour that has as consistent quality as KA from a small, local company, I would, but I am not aware of any. Would I rather buy a bleached bromated flour with less strict quality control in a Con Agra bag, or an unbleached unbromated consistent flour that meets my needs from a company that is not perfect but has a more positive record of social responsibility? I choose KA, thanks.
