FDA expands warning to cookware due to lead contamination
The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its warnings about cookware that can leach lead into food.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday launched a major review of synthetic preservatives long used in packaged foods as it ramps up efforts to reevaluate chemicals long allowed in the U.S. food supply.
The FDA has issued a request for information on how manufacturers use butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and whether current scientific evidence supports its safety in food and food contact materials.
BHA is a synthetic antioxidant that prevents oils and fats in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and animal feed from spoiling and extends product shelf life.
The review is part of an FDA program announced in 2025 to reevaluate chemicals that have been in use for decades.
Health advocates have long called for increased oversight of BHA, and the FDA warned that it should be reevaluated during an overhaul of its postmarket chemical review process.
“This reassessment marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era in food safety,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
He added that BHA remains on the market despite being listed in the National Toxicology Program as “reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies.
Health regulators listed BHA as “generally recognized as safe” in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961.
This preservative is found in foods such as cereal, frozen foods, cookies, candy, ice cream, and some meat products. Although usage has declined, it remains common in foods marketed to children, regulators said.
FDA Commissioner Marty McCurry said similar investigations will be conducted for other chemicals, including the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene and azodicarbonamide, a chemical also used in yoga mats and as a fabric conditioner.
The FDA said it is also working to strengthen GRAS regulations to increase transparency and oversight of chemicals added to food without prior FDA approval.
