Why is methyl bromide used?
Grain millers use methyl bromide for one reason – to keep insects out of our nutritious food products. Methyl bromide allows us to meet the US Food and Drug Administration’s strict rules for clean and wholesome food. We take those rules very seriously. We do so because it’s the law, but just as importantly because clean food is something we want to provide and consumers expect in their bread, pasta, cereal, tortillas, cookies, cakes and other grain based foods. You may remember watching your grandmother or mother sifting flour when she baked. The main reason she sifted the flour was to remove the insects. Nobody sifts flour anymore because there are no insects in the flour. Methyl bromide helps us make sure of that. Our customers expect and appreciate that commitment to cleanliness and safety. Why is the US government pursuing a Critical Use Exemption for some methyl bromide users? Methyl bromide is being phased out under the Montreal Protocol, an environmental treaty of the United Nat
