WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a comprehensive re-assessment of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a chemical preservative used in food. The review will consider whether BHA is safe under its current conditions of use in food and as a food contact substance, based on the latest scientific information.
As part of this re-assessment, the agency issued a Request for Information on the use and safety of BHA. This is part of the FDA's broader efforts to proactively review chemical additives in the food supply.
In May last year, the FDA launched a strengthened program to review chemicals currently used in the U.S. food supply. FDA identified BHA as a top priority for review. The FDA's post-market assessment of BHA used in food is one of several ongoing post-market assessments under the agency's enhanced systematic process for scrutinizing chemicals in the nation's food supply.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has warned that If BHA cannot meet adequate safety standards, it will be banned.
'BHA has remained in the food supply for decades despite being identified by the National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' based on animal studies,' said Kennedy. 'This reassessment marks the end of the 'trust us' era in food safety. If BHA cannot meet today's gold-standard science for its current uses, we will remove it from the food supply and continue cleaning up food chemicals-starting where children face the greatest exposure.'
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said, 'The scientific community has raised significant concerns about some chemicals currently in the food supply. Once we complete our assessment of BHA, we expect to conduct similar assessments for butylated hydroxytoluene, a synthetic preservative known as BHT, and azodicarbonamide - a chemical used in yoga mats and also used as a dough conditioner.'
For decades, health advocates have raised potential safety concerns regarding the use of BHA. The NIH's National Toxicology Program lists BHA as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' based on animal studies.
FDA listed BHA as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. It is used to prevent spoilage of fats and oils and can be found in various food products including frozen meals, breakfast cereals, cookies, candy, ice cream, and meat products. While packaged food label data indicate BHA use has declined in recent years, it remains present in many food products, including those marketed to children.
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