FDA launches reassessment of BHA, a common preservative used in snack foods

The Food and Drug Administration opened a comprehensive reassessment of butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, and issued a Request for Information as it seeks fresh evidence on whether the long-used preservative remains safe in the modern food supply. The agency said the review will consider whether BHA is safe “under its current conditions of use in food and as a food contact substance, based on the latest scientific information.”

BHA is a synthetic antioxidant added to foods to prevent fats and oils from spoiling and to extend shelf life. It is found in a broad range of products, including breakfast cereals, potato chips, frozen meals, some meat products, cookies, candy and ice cream, and appears in some food-contact materials. The compound is also used outside food in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and animal feed, creating multiple exposure pathways.

The reassessment places BHA at the center of a broader campaign by the agency to re-evaluate chemicals already on the market. The FDA said the action is “part of the FDA’s broader efforts to proactively review chemical additives in the food supply.” The move follows a May 2025 initiative in which the agency launched a strengthened program to systematically review post-market chemicals; BHA was identified as a top priority.

Regulatory history of the preservative stretches back decades. The agency first listed BHA as generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. Yet public-health listings have been more cautious: California’s Proposition 65 has included BHA as a known carcinogen since 1990, and the National Toxicology Program has classified it since 1991 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” based largely on animal studies. Several reports note that some laboratory studies have linked BHA to cancer in rats, mice and hamsters.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary framed the reassessment as a safety imperative. “We are taking decisive action to ensure that chemicals in our food supply are not causing harm,” he said in the agency’s announcement.

The FDA said package-labeling data suggest BHA use has declined in recent years, but it remains present in many foods, including items marketed to children. The agency’s Request for Information seeks details from manufacturers, scientists and the public to clarify how the chemical is used and what exposure levels exist, though the initial announcement did not specify a timeline for completing the review or the deadline for responses.

Public-health advocates welcomed the move. Health advocacy organizations have long urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA because of the animal-cancer findings and regulatory listings. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. described the reassessment as a broader policy shift, saying, “This reassessment marks the end of the 'trust us' era in food safety.”

The FDA also said it expects to conduct similar assessments of related additives, including butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, and azodicarbonamide, described by the agency as “a chemical used in yoga mats and also used as a dough conditioner.” Agency officials signaled additional work on transparency, including efforts to tighten GRAS rules to increase oversight of chemicals added to food without prior FDA approval.

The reassessment does not impose immediate restrictions or trigger recalls; it begins a review that could lead to new regulatory guidance, labeling changes or limits on use pending the agency’s evaluation of current science. For consumers and manufacturers, the review marks an early step in what may be a substantive reexamination of preservatives that have been part of the food supply for generations.