FDA to Reassess the Safety of BHA, a Preservative Used in Popular Snack Foods

UNITED STATES – Federal health officials are reassessing the safety of a common food preservative found in potato chips, cereals, frozen meals and meat products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is launching a new review of butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, to determine whether it is safe under current conditions of use.

The chemical was declared “generally recognized as safe” decades ago, but the National Toxicology Program later classified it as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary says the agency is taking decisive action to make sure chemicals in the food supply are not causing harm.

Health advocacy groups have long urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA, and while its use has declined, the FDA says it is still found in many foods, including some marketed to children.