FDA moves to ban BHA — an additive used in processed foods such as meats and bread

The Food and Drug Administration took action Tuesday to ban BHA, a food additive used in processed foods such as meat and bread.

BHA, or butylated hydroxyanisole, has been used in the food supply for decades. The FDA first listed it as “generally recognized as safe” in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. It is used to prevent fats and oils in foods from spoiling and can appear in products such as frozen meals, breakfast cereals, cookies, ice cream, and some meat products.

The agency said it was launching a new safety review of the chemical, highlighting long-standing concerns that the food additive could cause cancer in humans.

In the 1990s, the National Toxicology Program – a federal program that examines whether certain chemicals can cause harm – identified BHA as “reasonably believed to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies. It has been listed as a known carcinogen under California Proposition 65.

A handful of studies linking BHA to cancer in animals date back to the 1980s and 1990s, although research on humans is rare.

As part of its review, the FDA said it is issuing a so-called request for information, asking the public and industry to submit data on how BHA is pursued and whether it is safe.

“This reevaluation marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era of food safety,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.

The review aligns with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which focused heavily on cracking down on chemicals in the food supply.

Last year, Kennedy announced a plan to phase out all artificial colors from the food supply by the end of this year, saying they are responsible for behavioral problems in children, including hyperactivity — a link the FDA said it was monitoring but has not been established.

The FDA has since approved “natural” colors, including beet red, and the expanded use of spirulina extract, an existing color additive derived from a type of algae.

Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said she wants to know how the FDA plans to evaluate the safety of BHA.

Previous toxicology studies of BHA relied on laboratory tests and animal experiments, and it’s not always clear how well those results translate to humans, she said.

Human studies aren’t really possible, she added, noting that they would take too long, cost too much and raise major ethical issues.

Nonetheless, Nestlé applauded the FDA’s decision to launch a new safety review of BHA. She said the chemical has been on the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s “to avoid” list for ages. The center is a food safety monitoring group.

“It’s time for the FDA to step up to the plate,” Nestlé said. “It will be interesting to see what his evaluators conclude.”

The Consumer Brands Association, an industry trade group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.