The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took steps Tuesday (February 10) toward banning butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a common food preservative used in processed foods for decades. The chemical, which prevents fats and oils from spoiling, is found in products ranging from frozen meals and breakfast cereals to cookies, ice cream, and various meat products.
The FDA first designated BHA as “generally recognized as safe” in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. However, the agency is now launching a comprehensive safety review due to longstanding concerns about potential cancer risks in humans, according to an FDA announcement.
“This reassessment marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era in food safety,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a press release.
The National Toxicology Program identified BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” in the 1990s based on animal studies. California has also listed it as a known carcinogen under Proposition 65. While animal studies from the 1980s and 1990s have linked BHA to cancer, research on its effects in humans remains limited.
As part of its review process, the FDA is requesting information from the public and industry about BHA’s usage and safety. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary indicated that similar assessments will follow for other food additives, including butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and azodicarbonamide.
This move follows Kennedy’s 2025 announcement to phase out artificial food dyes by the end of 2026, claiming they cause behavioral problems in children—though the FDA has said this link hasn’t been conclusively established.
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