FDA Targets Common Food Preservatives, Moves to Align U.S. Standards with Europe

The Food and Drug Administration is taking aim at several widely used chemical preservatives in the American food supply, announcing a new review process and updated labeling rules designed to bring U.S. standards closer to those in Europe and make food labels clearer for consumers.

On Tuesday, the agency revealed plans to review a preservative known as BHA, which is commonly found in processed foods. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the ingredient may be linked to cancer concerns.

“About 4,600 different types of food that are common in the U.S. food supply have BHA. It’s an ingredient that’s found in rubber, in plastic, in glue,” Makary said, raising concerns about its widespread presence in everyday products beyond food.

In addition to BHA, the FDA is examining two other compounds: BHT and azodicarbonamide. According to Makary, BHT is frequently used in cereal and is “known to be a hormone disruptor.” Azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner, is used to create air bubbles in products such as yoga mats to provide cushioning.

“It’s also used in shoes to make them more springy. And it’s also found in breads and foods, and it just doesn’t make sense that the same chemicals used to condition yoga mats and shoes are also being used in food for children,” Makary said.

The chemicals under review have already been banned in most of Europe. In the United States, however, they became common in processed foods under an FDA rule known as GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe.” The rule allowed companies to self-declare certain chemicals as safe without going through extensive independent testing.

Makary explained that the GRAS rule was originally intended for substances like salt or naturally occurring ingredients. Over time, however, he said companies used what he described as a loophole to self-certify chemicals as safe and incorporate them into food products.

“It was originally intended for things like salt, and things that were naturally in the environment, but companies over time used this loophole to be able to self declare chemicals as safe without any real good, solid testing, and then just insert them into the food, not because it added any taste or flavor, but because it increased the shelf life of certain foods,” he said.

Makary added that as the medical field has evolved, new data has emerged pointing to potential health concerns associated with some of these chemicals.

“Now that this medical field has matured and caught up. The data now shows that there are health concerns with some of these chemicals,” he said.

According to Makary, replacing these preservatives with alternatives would be cost neutral, meaning companies would not face additional expenses by making the switch.

The FDA is also introducing new guidance on food labeling, particularly regarding claims about artificial dyes. Makary said the agency wants to eliminate confusion for consumers.

“The FDA is making it very clear what these labels should mean, and what the criteria are. For example, the label, ‘no artificial dyes’ will now mean no artificial dyes,” he said. In the past, he noted, products using natural dyes could not use that label, which created confusion for parents shopping for their children.

Makary said the FDA recently approved two new natural dyes as alternatives to petroleum-based artificial dyes.

“Now, you can trust that label, ‘no artificial dyes.’ And at the same time, the FDA approved last week two new natural dyes that can be used as alternatives to the petroleum artificial dyes, and that’s what we need to do,” he added.