In response to mounting health concerns, federal health officials have initiated a comprehensive reassessment of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a chemical commonly employed as a food preservative in products such as potato chips, cereals, and frozen meals.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a call for new information regarding BHA, signaling its intention to evaluate whether this additive remains safe under current conditions of usage in food and as a food contact substance. This move is part of a larger effort by the FDA to review chemical additives within the U.S. food supply, particularly after BHA was placed on the agency’s priority review list in May.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated, “We are taking decisive action to ensure that chemicals in our food supply are not causing harm.” Originally classified as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in 1958 and approved as a food additive in 1961, BHA's safety profile has come under scrutiny. Since 1991, the National Toxicology Program has classified it as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”
Advocacy groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest have long cautioned against products containing BHA, citing studies that suggest its carcinogenic potential in test animals, leading to its listing as a known carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65 since 1990.
Even though package labeling data suggest a decline in BHA usage over the years, the FDA noted that it is still present in many food items, including those specifically marketed to children. The agency is focused on ensuring that the food supply is safe as it moves forward with its evaluations.
