The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has started a full review of BHA, a chemical used for food preservatives. The review will check if BHA is still safe to use in food, based on the latest research. The FDA has asked for information about how BHA is used and its safety.
This is part of the FDA’s larger plan to review chemicals used in food. In May 2025, the FDA began a stronger program to look at chemicals in food. BHA was chosen as one of the top chemicals to check. The FDA has been reviewing chemicals in food to make sure they’re safe.
BHA was first listed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in 1958 and was approved as a food additive in 1961. It helps prevent fats and oils in food from going bad. BHA is found in many foods, such as frozen meals, breakfast cereals, cookies, candy, ice cream, and meat products. Even though it’s used less now, BHA is still in many foods, including those aimed at children.
Executive Statement
According to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., BHA has remained in the food supply for decades despite being identified by the National Toxicology Program as ‘reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen’ based on animal studies. This reassessment marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era in food safety. If BHA cannot meet today’s gold-standard science for its current uses, they will remove it from the food supply and continue cleaning up food chemicals, starting where children face the greatest exposure.
