Food Preservative in Meat and Bread Identified as Possible Carcinogen, May Face FDA Ban After 65 Years

A preservative showing up in everything from breakfast cereals to frozen dinners is now at the center of a federal safety review. The FDA launched a sweeping reassessment of butylated hydroxyanisole, widely known as BHA, on February 10, 2026, citing decades of unresolved cancer concerns. The agency is now reviewing whether BHA remains safe under its current conditions of use in food.

BHA Has Been Part of the American Food Supply for Nearly 70 Years

BHA’s path into the food supply came in two steps: listed as Generally Recognized as Safe in 1958, then formally cleared as a food additive in 1961. It prevents fats and oils from going rancid, extending the shelf life of everything from cookies and candy to ice cream and meat products. Despite recent declines in its use, the FDA confirmed it still appears in many foods, including products marketed to children.

The Cancer Warning on BHA Is Nearly 30 Years Old

The National Toxicology Program, a federal body that evaluates chemical risks, flagged BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” back in the 1990s, based on animal studies. California took it further, adding BHA to its Proposition 65 list of substances known to cause cancer. That classification has stood for roughly 30 years with no formal federal follow-up, until the FDA acted this February.

Animal Studies Raised Red Flags, But Human Evidence Remains Limited

The science has limits, according to Marion Nestle, a nutrition and food policy professor emerita at New York University. The animal studies driving the carcinogen classification, most from the 1980s and 1990s, don’t carry over to humans the same way. “Human studies aren’t really possible,” she told NBC News, noting they’d take too long, cost too much, and raise serious ethical questions.

The FDA Is Now Asking the Public and Industry to Weigh In

As part of its reassessment, the FDA issued a formal Request for Information, opening the process to public comment and industry data on BHA’s current uses and whether it remains safe, both as a food additive and as a food contact substance. BHA had already been flagged as a top priority under a review program the agency launched in May 2025, one focused on taking a harder look at chemicals that have been in the food supply for years.

Kennedy Framed the Review as the End of an Era in Food Safety

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. connected the BHA review to his broader “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which has focused on reducing chemical exposure in the food supply. “BHA has remained in the food supply for decades despite being identified as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on animal studies,” Kennedy said in the announcement. He added that removal is on the table if BHA falls short of current scientific standards, and that children’s products would be a priority.

FDA Commissioner Signals BHT and Another Food Chemical Are Next

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary didn’t stop at BHA. Once the BHA assessment is complete, the agency plans similar reviews of butylated hydroxytoluene, a synthetic preservative known as BHT, and azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner that also appears in the manufacturing of yoga mats. Makary said the agency expects to conduct similar assessments for both chemicals after completing its work on BHA.

A Longtime Food Safety Watchdog Says It’s Overdue

Nestle noted that BHA has long been on the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s “avoid” list, a food safety watchdog group. “It’s about time the FDA got to it,” she told NBC News. “It will be interesting to see what its reviewers conclude.”

BHA Is One of Several Food Chemicals the FDA Is Taking a Harder Look At

The FDA has been pushing to take a fresh look at chemicals that cleared safety reviews years ago, before current scientific standards existed. Part of that push includes draft rulemaking to reform its GRAS framework, the “Generally Recognized as Safe” designation that has historically allowed manufacturers to self-certify ingredients without mandatory agency review.

The FDA Says This Is Just the Beginning

The FDA’s reassessment of BHA doesn’t guarantee a ban. What it does is put decades of approved use up against what science knows now. Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas said the assessment reflects the agency’s commitment to continuously reviewing the latest scientific evidence, describing it as part of a proactive, ongoing approach to protecting public health.