Butylated hydroxyanisole

What this is

Food-grade BHA is mainly a mixture of 3-BHA and smaller amounts of 2-BHA, used to prevent spoilage of fats and oils; in the U.S., FDA lists several authorized pathways, including GRAS antioxidant use capped at 0.02% of total fat or oil and specified direct-additive uses. FDA opened a 2026 post-market assessment/RFI to evaluate whether BHA remains safe under current food and food-contact conditions. Scientific judgments differ: NTP lists BHA as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on animal studies, and California lists it under Proposition 65 for cancer, while EFSA’s food-additive re-evaluation found no genotoxicity concern, treated rodent forestomach effects as possibly not human-relevant, and set an ADI. Policy momentum has shifted: Texas and Louisiana enacted school-food restrictions, Louisiana enacted a disclosure requirement, and West Virginia enacted a broader 2028 adulteration restriction, although Department of Health enforcement is preliminarily enjoined.

Safety Review

The critical endpoints experts review in safety assessments. This is not a prediction of harm.

The strongest toxicology concern is not direct DNA damage but animal tumor findings that led NTP/OEHHA cancer listings, plus EFSA's ADI basis involving rat pup growth, mortality, and behavioral effects at higher doses. BHA is still permitted with limits in some jurisdictions, but FDA has opened a post-market assessment/RFI, so the safety status remains under active review.