As a food additive, azodicarbonamide is used as a flour bleaching agent and a dough conditioner. [7] It reacts with wet flour as an oxidizing agent. [8] The main reaction product is diurea, which is stable during baking. [8] Secondary reaction products include semicarbazides and urethanes. [7] It is known by the E number E927. Many restaurants in the US fast food industry have removed the additive in response to negative publicity.

In a 1999 report, the World Health Organization linked exposure to azodicarbonamide in workplaces where azodicarbonamide was produced or handled in raw form to "respiratory problems, allergies and asthma." Available data are limited to these occupational settings. Public exposure to azodicarbonamide could not be assessed due to lack of available data. [10] The World Health Organization concluded that "the level of risk is uncertain; therefore, the level of exposure should be kept as low as possible".

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitizer (may cause asthma) in the workplace environment and determined that its containers should be labeled "may cause sensitization by inhalation". [11] Azodicarbonamide was added to the REACH Regulation Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern in 2012 due to its respiratory sensitizing properties.

As of February 2021, AW continues to use an unspecified amount ("less than 2%) of azodicarbonamide in its standard hamburger compared to direct competitors such as Wendy's that have phased out the ingredient.