Chemical food additive BHA under review in the US

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a reassessment of the use of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as a chemical preservative used in food. Part of a broader review of chemical additives in the food supply, this review will consider whether BHA is safe for use in food and as a food-contact substance, based on the latest scientific information.

The FDA listed BHA as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. It is used to prevent spoilage of fats and oils and can be found in various food products including frozen meals, breakfast cereals, biscuits, confectionery, ice cream and meat products. While BHA use has declined in recent years, it still remains present in many food products.

In Australia and New Zealand, all additives undergo a thorough safety assessment before being approved for use by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA, INS 320) is currently a permitted antioxidant food additive in Australia and New Zealand, regulated under Standard 1.3.1 of the Food Standards Code, but is subject to maximum usage levels and must be declared on food labels. BHA is also currently authorised alone, or in combination with other antioxidants such as gallates, tertiary butylhydroquinone and butylated hydroxytoluene, for a wide range of different food categories in Europe.

The Make America Healthy Again Commission’s Strategy Report identified as a key priority the post market review of chemical additives in food, including food additives, food contact substances, GRAS substances, and colour additives. 

“If BHA cannot meet today’s gold-standard science for its current uses, we will remove it from the food supply and continue cleaning up food chemicals — starting where children face the greatest exposure,” said US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. when commenting on the BHA review.

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