Food additive · Antioxidant
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
- E-number
- E321
- CAS
- 128-37-0
A synthetic antioxidant used to keep fats in cereals, snacks and packaging from going rancid. The FDA began a safety reassessment in 2025.
- Food additive
- Preservative
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Under regulatory reviewInfo
The FDA requested data for a post-market assessment in 2026 (Docket FDA-2026-N-2526). IARC places BHT in Group 3; EFSA (2012) set an ADI of 0.25 mg/kg body weight. [1][2][3]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Under review | Permitted with limits (21 CFR 172.115); FDA post-market assessment under way. | — | [4] |
| European Union | Restricted | Permitted (E 321) only in listed foods with maximum levels. | — | [5] |
| Canada | Permitted | On Health Canada's List of Permitted Preservatives, with limits. | — | [6] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
169 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). The 12 most scanned:
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Shredded Wheat Post · 18 oz Score 100 out of 100 Excellent -
Frosted Mini Wheats Original Kellogg's · 16 oz Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Great Grains Raisins, Dates & Pecans Cereal Post · 453 g Score 32 out of 100 Poor -
Crunchy Pecan Cereal Great Grains · 453 g Score 23 out of 100 Poor -
Extra Gum Chomps · 15 sticks Score 31 out of 100 Poor -
Shredded Wheat Original Post · 16.4 oz (465 g) Score 100 out of 100 Excellent -
Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats Original Kellogg's · 22 g Score 3 out of 100 Bad -
Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar Quaker · 411 g Score 20 out of 100 Poor -
Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Post · 12 oz Score 15 out of 100 Bad -
Frosted mini wheats original Kellogs · 18 oz Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Post · 50 oz Score 15 out of 100 Bad -
All-Bran Buds Kellogg's · 22 oz (623 g) Score 47 out of 100 Okay
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (16)
- bht
- e321
- antioxidant bht
- antioxidant e321
- preservative bht
- bht for freshness
- bht as a preservative
- butylated hydroxytoluene
- bht to maintain freshness
- bht to preserve freshness
- bht butylated hydroxytoluene
- bht added to maintain freshness
- bht added to preserve freshness
- bht added to preserve product freshness
- bht added to packaging to preserve freshness
- bht added to packaging material to preserve freshness
Sources
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List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review
“The table below includes select food ingredients (including food and color additives), food contact substances, and contaminants under FDA review as of May 12, 2026 .”
fda.gov
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Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)
monographs.iarc.who.int
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Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of butylated hydroxytoluene BHT (E 321) as a food additive
“Based on the NOAEL of 25 mg/kg bw/day and an uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel derived an ADI of 0.25 mg/kg bw/day.”
doi.org
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ecfr.gov
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“E 127 Erythrosine 200 only cocktail cherries and candied cherries”
eur-lex.europa.eu
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11. List of Permitted Preservatives (Lists of Permitted Food Additives)
“B.2 Butylated Hydroxyanisole n/a (a) Active dry yeasts (a) Preservative (a) 1,000 ppm n/a”
canada.ca