|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Major FDA review underway for food preservative BHA
|
|
Tuesday, 17 February, 2026, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
|
|
Washington, USA
|
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a comprehensive review of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a widely used food preservative, to reassess whether it remains safe under current food use conditions. The move marks a significant regulatory step in the agency’s broader effort to re-evaluate longstanding food additives amid evolving science and health concerns.
BHA, an antioxidant first approved in 1961 and long classified as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS), helps prevent fat and oil spoilage in processed foods such as cereals, frozen meals, lunch meats and snacks. Despite decades of use, the preservative has drawn scrutiny from health advocates and scientific reviewers. Notably, the National Toxicology Program has listed BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies, prompting renewed calls for tighter safety oversight.
The FDA’s reassessment follows a strengthened post-market review initiative launched in 2025 that targets chemicals already in the food supply. As part of this effort, regulators have issued a Request for Information to food manufacturers about how BHA is used and whether modern scientific evidence supports its continued use at current levels. Officials say the review will examine both BHA’s use in foods and in food-contact materials.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasised that the agency aims to ensure chemical additives meet “gold-standard” safety criteria and highlighted that if BHA fails to demonstrate safety under updated science, it could be removed from the food supply. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary added that the review reflects a proactive shift toward continuous safety assessment of food chemicals.
The FDA also indicated that other additives, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and azodicarbonamide, may be next for similar reviews. Consumer groups and some state regulators have welcomed the process, asserting that stricter scrutiny is overdue given historical concerns about potential cancer-linked effects from BHA exposure.
The agency has not yet announced a timeline for completing the BHA reassessment, but the review’s outcome could have widespread implications for food manufacturers and public health policy in the United States.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|