The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it will reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in a range of packaged foods, including potato chips, cereals, frozen meals and meat products. The agency said it issued a new request for information about butylated hydroxyanisole and that the review will evaluate whether BHA is safe under its current conditions of use both in food and as a food contact substance.
The FDA said the reassessment fits within a broader effort to review chemical additives in the U.S. food supply. In May, the agency identified BHA as a top priority for review, and Tuesday’s action follows that designation.
In a statement, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency was taking action to ensure that chemicals in the food supply are not causing harm. The FDA also provided a timeline for BHA’s regulatory status, describing how the agency first listed the additive as “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, in 1958 and later approved it as a food additive in 1961.
The FDA said that although BHA has been authorized for use, the chemical’s risk classification has shifted in scientific evaluations over time. Since 1991, the agency said, BHA has been classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program.
Health advocacy groups including the Center for Science in the Public Interest have urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA. The FDA said some studies have indicated the chemical causes cancer in animals including rats and mice and hamsters, and it said BHA has been listed as a known carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65 since 1990.
The FDA said package labeling data show BHA use has declined in recent years, but that it still appears in many foods. The agency said BHA remains present in foods including those marketed to children.