From Snack Aisles to Science: How BHA’s Safety Is Being Reassessed

In the long, woven story of what ends up on our plates, there are often threads most of us never notice: tiny codes on ingredient lists, familiar names that seem harmless, passing glimpses of “preservative added.” Among those, butylated hydroxyanisole, better known as BHA, has quietly done the work of keeping fats and oils from turning rancid in everything from potato chips to breakfast cereals. For decades it has occupied that unassuming corner of the food supply, its presence accepted with little public notice — until now.

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it will reassess the safety of BHA, the food preservative used in myriad processed foods, as part of a broader effort to update how chemical additives in our food are evaluated. The agency said it has issued a new Request for Information to gather data about current uses and potential risks, signaling a fresh look at whether BHA remains appropriate under today’s scientific understanding.

First listed as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the late 1950s and approved as a food additive in the early 1960s, BHA’s long tenure in processed foods reflects an era when few preservatives were closely scrutinized after initial approval. But that assessment landscape has shifted. Since 1991, the U.S. National Toxicology Program has categorized BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies, a designation that has concerned health advocates for years.

Though packaged food label data suggest BHA use has declined in recent years, it still appears in products ranging from frozen meals and meat products to snacks and cereals — including foods often marketed to children. This persistence, even amid scientific and public debate, now frames the FDA’s decision to reevaluate whether the chemical’s presence remains justified in light of evolving evidence.

The move forms part of a wider initiative by the FDA to modernize how chemical additives are reviewed after they enter the market, addressing substances long assumed safe without contemporary safety data. Officials say the reassessment will consider BHA’s safety both as a food additive and as a food-contact substance — the materials it might touch before reaching our plates.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary described the effort as decisive action to ensure “chemicals in our food supply are not causing harm,” reflecting a shift toward more proactive post-market evaluation. The agency has signaled that once the BHA assessment concludes, it may undertake similar reviews of other long-standing preservatives and chemicals in food.

Health advocacy groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, have long urged caution about BHA, noting that some laboratory studies have found links between the chemical and cancer in rodents. BHA is also listed under California’s Proposition 65 as a chemical known to cause cancer. These concerns have shaped public discourse around the additive and helped drive calls for reassessment.

At the same time, industry representatives point out that the chemical has been part of the food landscape for generations, and its use has steadily decreased as manufacturers reformulate products or adopt alternative preservatives. This balance between tradition and evolving science underscores the careful deliberation now under way.

For consumers, the reassessment is less about immediate change and more about transparency and assurance that food additives are continually evaluated against up-to-date safety standards. As the FDA pauses to reconsider BHA’s place in the food supply, it reflects a broader effort to ensure that long-standing ingredients meet contemporary expectations for health and safety.

In straightforward news terms, the FDA has initiated a comprehensive review of the preservative BHA — used in processed foods including snacks, cereals and frozen meals — to determine whether it remains safe under current science and conditions of use, part of a broader effort to revisit long-standing food additives.

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SOURCES

• Associated Press

• Reuters

• Quality Assurance & Food Safety

• Food Safety Magazine

• Civil Eats