Dyes and additives

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole): status and state laws

BHA keeps fats from going rancid in cereals, snack mixes and chewing gum. It is still authorized nationwide, and only a handful of state laws name it.

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Try a date in 2027 or 2028 to see what changes.

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Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in California, November 5, 2026

Allowed: no state law found

FDAAllowed by FDA Authorized as an antioxidant (21 CFR 172.110) and listed as GRAS (21 CFR 182.3169). No revocation published in the Federal Register as of November 1, 2026.
State lawNot confirmed: we found no enacted California law naming BHA at the official sources we read.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), E320, CAS 25013-16-5. School rules cover food served or sold to students, not grocery shelves. Legal status only, not health advice.

All dye and additive rules in California

Butylated hydroxyanisole is authorized as an antioxidant in food at 21 CFR 172.110 and listed as generally recognized as safe at 21 CFR 182.3169. No proposal to restrict or revoke it had been published in the Federal Register by November 1, 2026. West Virginia's HB 2354 names BHA among the nine substances that would make a food adulterated if sold in the state from January 1, 2028; a federal court enjoined that law in December 2025. Texas includes BHA in its school-meal law and in its label list, and Louisiana in its school and disclosure rules. It is not a color, so it is outside the FDA's dye phase-out request, and none of the dye-only school laws, such as the Virginia or Alaska rules, mention it. The checker reads it under its initials and its full chemical name.

Which states keep this dye out of school food?

School-food rules naming BHA

2 states

Texas: the 2026-2027 school year (food contracts entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2026) (in effect)
Louisiana: the 2028-2029 school year (enacted, not yet in effect)

All food sold, not only schools: West Virginia.

Read the school meal rules →

Laws and FDA orders read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

On a label

BHA usually appears in a phrase such as "BHA added to preserve freshness", sometimes in the packaging rather than the food. The checker reads "BHA" and "butylated hydroxyanisole". BHT, a related antioxidant, is named in Louisiana's school law but not tracked here because no other state rule covers it.

Where it was counted

Most products that list it fall outside the categories of this site; among those tracked it is most frequent in chips and snacks, gelatin and pudding mixes and cookies. The table below gives the numbers, read from labels that may be several years old.

BHA: identity and federal status

Read on November 1, 2026.
Name in the federal rulesButylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Other names on labelsBHA
E number (EU)E320
CAS number25013-16-5
Federal rule21 CFR 172.110 and 182.3169
FDA statusAuthorized as an antioxidant (21 CFR 172.110) and listed as GRAS (21 CFR 182.3169). No revocation published in the Federal Register as of November 1, 2026.

State laws that name BHA

3 states; laws read on November 1, 2026.
StateLawScopeFromStatus today
West VirginiaHB 2354 (2025)all food soldJanuary 1, 2028Enacted, enforcement blocked by a court
TexasSB 25 (89th Legislature, 2025)package labellabels developed or copyrighted on or after January 1, 2027Enacted, a court order bars enforcement against some companies
TexasSB 314 (89th Legislature, 2025)school foodthe 2026-2027 school year (food contracts entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2026)In effect
LouisianaSB 14 (2025)school foodthe 2028-2029 school yearEnacted, not yet in effect
LouisianaSB 14 (2025)package labelDecember 31, 2028Enacted, not yet in effect

Where BHA shows up in labeled products

USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, release of October 29, 2026; one product per barcode.
CategoryProducts listing itProducts in the categoryShare
Gelatin and pudding1722,0338.5%
Cookies13514,7400.9%
Cake and baking mixes477,5070.6%
Drink mixes and water enhancers314,9940.6%
Chips, crackers and snacks33955,0860.6%
Cakes, pastries and toaster pastries7914,0070.6%
Breakfast cereal539,8030.5%
Chewing gum and mints91,6690.5%

Questions people ask

Which states have a law naming BHA?

As of November 1, 2026, 3 states: West Virginia, Texas and Louisiana. By kind of rule: all food sold in the state, West Virginia; school food, Texas and Louisiana; package labels, Texas and Louisiana. Each rule has its own start date, given in the table on this page with a link to the text.

What is the FDA status of BHA today?

Allowed by FDA. Authorized as an antioxidant (21 CFR 172.110) and listed as GRAS (21 CFR 182.3169). No revocation published in the Federal Register as of November 1, 2026. The federal rule applies in every state, before any state law, and is read in the Federal Register and the electronic Code of Federal Regulations.

How does BHA appear on an ingredient list?

It may be written as BHA, and products made for Europe print E320. Federal rule 21 CFR 172.110 and 182.3169 governs its use. A certified dye must be named in the list rather than covered by "artificial color", and a lake form must keep the word "Lake".

Check next

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Ingredient list checker

Paste an ingredient list: every tracked dye or additive found, by FD&C name, lake, E or INS number, with its status in your state.

List of artificial food dyes

The nine synthetic dyes certified by the FDA for food, their other names and E numbers, and the status of each.

FDA phase-out

What the FDA has ordered (Red 3, BVO, Orange B), proposed (Citrus Red 2) and only requested (six dyes by the end of 2027).

States banning food dyes

Every state with an enacted dye or additive law, what it covers, from when, and the bills still pending or not confirmed.

Laws and official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a state-by-state tracker of food dye and additive laws in the United States, with an ingredient-list checker built on USDA FoodData Central

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Food dye and additive rules 2026, read in each state law and in the Federal Register, last checked on