Federal regulators are reviewing whether a preservative used in products such as frozen meals, cereals, cookies, and ice cream is safe, the government said on Feb. 10.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is assessing available evidence on butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). The preservative has been categorized as “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA since 1958.
“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,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
“[The assessment] marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era in food safety,” he said. “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.”
BHA is used in products to prevent fat and oil from spoiling. The FDA said food label data indicate that BHA use has declined in recent years but that it remains present in many products, including those marketed to children.
“We are taking decisive action to ensure that chemicals in our food supply are not causing harm,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement.
“The scientific community has raised significant concerns about some chemicals currently in the food supply. Once we complete our assessment of BHA, we expect to conduct similar assessments for butylated hydroxytoluene, a synthetic preservative known as BHT, and azodicarbonamide—a chemical used in yoga mats and also used as a dough conditioner.”
Under federal law and FDA regulations, the FDA may designate additives as generally recognized as safe if experts and available data indicate that they can be used safely in food.
The categorization for BHA and other additives has increasingly come under scrutiny from federal officials and outside organizations, who say there is a need for a fresh look at their safety.
The organization did not respond to a request for comment.
Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of the Consumer Brands Association, which represents food manufacturers, told The Epoch Times via email that the association supports the review process.
“We appreciate FDA’s proactivity in reviewing ... [BHA] in the food supply as the industry continues to advocate for national ingredient safety uniformity to give Americans everywhere confidence in the safety of food and beverage products,” she said.
Federal officials said in a new notice that the FDA is requesting that people submit information about using BHA in food and whether it is safe.
“We intend to use the information received and any other available, relevant information to determine if BHA remains safe under its current conditions of use in food and as a food contact substance,” they stated.
