FDA Proposes Ban on BHA Additive in Processed Meats and Bread

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated steps toward banning butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a food additive commonly found in processed meats and bread. This decision comes amid longstanding health concerns regarding the potential cancer risk associated with BHA.

Background on BHA

BHA has been a staple in food preservation since it was first deemed “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA in 1958. It was approved as a food additive three years later. The additive helps prevent fats and oils in food from spoiling and is often included in various products, including:

• Frozen meals
• Breakfast cereals
• Cookies
• Ice cream
• Processed meats

Concerns About Safety

The FDA’s recent announcement highlights an ongoing safety review of BHA. The agency is particularly concerned about findings from the National Toxicology Program, which identified BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies conducted in the 1990s.

Moreover, BHA has been classified under California’s Proposition 65 as a known carcinogen. Although studies linking BHA to cancer have primarily focused on animal testing from the 1980s and 1990s, human research remains limited.

Call for Public Input

As part of the ongoing review, the FDA is soliciting information from the public and industry stakeholders regarding the usage and safety of BHA. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the significance of this reassessment, stating it marks a shift away from the previous approach to food safety.

Related Initiatives

This review aligns with Secretary Kennedy’s broader agenda, “Make America Healthy Again,” which aims to regulate chemicals in food. Last year, Kennedy announced plans to eliminate artificial dyes from the food supply by year-end, citing concerns over their impact on children’s behavior.

Expert Opinions

Marion Nestle, a professor emerita at New York University specializing in nutrition and food safety, welcomed the FDA’s initiative. She expressed interest in the methods the FDA will use to assess BHA’s safety, acknowledging past research often relies on animal studies that may not effectively represent human responses.

While she emphasized the challenges in conducting human studies, such as time and ethical implications, she reiterated that BHA has long been on the “avoid” list of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a prominent food safety watchdog.

As the FDA begins this critical review, industry responses, such as those from the Consumer Brands Association, remain awaited. The outcome of this assessment has the potential to impact food safety regulations and consumer health significantly.