What Is BHA and Why Is It Used?
The Food and Drug Administration has launched a new safety review that could lead to a ban on BHA, a preservative found in many processed foods. BHA, short for butylated hydroxyanisole, helps prevent fats and oils from going rancid. As a result, manufacturers have used it for decades to extend shelf life.
You can find BHA in frozen dinners, breakfast cereals, cookies, ice cream, snack foods and some processed meat products. The FDA first labeled it “generally recognized as safe” in 1958 and formally approved it as a food additive in 1961.
Cancer Concerns Resurface
Now, however, the agency says it will take a fresh look at the chemical due to ongoing concerns about cancer risk. In the 1990s, the National Toxicology Program classified BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies. In addition, California lists it as a known carcinogen under Proposition 65.
Several animal studies from the 1980s and 1990s linked BHA to cancer. Still, research involving humans remains limited. Because of that gap, questions about how those findings apply to people have lingered for years.
As part of the review, the FDA issued a formal request for information. The agency is asking researchers, industry groups and the public to submit data on how BHA is used and whether it remains safe.
Policy Shift Under “Make America Healthy Again”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the move as part of a broader shift in food safety policy. He said the review signals a tougher stance on chemicals in the food supply.
The reassessment aligns with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. That effort has focused heavily on food additives. Last year, he announced a plan to phase out artificial dyes, arguing they may contribute to behavioral issues in children. Although the FDA continues to monitor that claim, it says a clear link has not been established.
Since then, the agency has approved certain natural color alternatives, including beetroot red and expanded uses of spirulina extract.
Experts Weigh In
Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition and public health at New York University, welcomed the FDA’s decision. However, she raised questions about how the agency will evaluate the data.
Most past studies on BHA relied on laboratory testing and animal models. Translating those results to humans can be difficult. At the same time, long term human studies are often unrealistic due to cost, time and ethical limits.
Even so, Nestle said BHA has appeared for years on the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s “avoid” list. Therefore, she believes the review is overdue.
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents the food industry, has not yet commented on the FDA’s announcement.
