Packaged food makers across the U.S. still rely on colorants and preservatives that regulators continue to allow even as cancer-related concerns remain part of the public debate. The clearest recent federal action came on January 15, 2025, when the FDA revoked authorization for Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, while other widely used additives stayed on the market.
FDA banned Red No. 3, but several other additives remain legal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on January 15, 2025, that it was revoking authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, according to the agency’s constituent update. The FDA said the move followed a 2022 color additive petition and was required under the Delaney Clause, a federal standard that bars approval of additives found to induce cancer in humans or animals. The agency set January 15, 2027, as the deadline for food manufacturers to remove Red No. 3 from products, and January 18, 2028, for ingested drugs.
That action did not extend to several other additives commonly found in packaged foods. FDA regulations still permit titanium dioxide as a color additive in food so long as it does not exceed 1% by weight of the food. BHA remains authorized as a preservative in food, and BHT and propyl gallate also remain allowed within specified limits under federal food additive rules.
The regulatory split matters because these additives appear in many shelf-stable products, including candies, frostings, cereals, snack foods and creamers. The FDA has not announced comparable revocations or phaseout deadlines for titanium dioxide, BHA, BHT or propyl gallate. For shoppers in 2026, that means the ingredient panel remains the main verified source for determining whether those additives are present in a product.
What shoppers in California and other states can confirm right now
California has taken one of the highest-profile state-level steps on food additives, but its law is narrower than some shoppers may assume. The California Food Safety Act, signed in October 2023, bars foods sold in the state from containing brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye No. 3 starting January 1, 2027, according to the bill text and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing message. The state law does not ban titanium dioxide, BHA or BHT.
That means consumers in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and other California markets may still see those ingredients on labels, depending on the product and the manufacturer’s formulation. California has not released a statewide list of products expected to be reformulated, and companies are not required to publish recipe changes product by product before the 2027 deadline. Outside California, there is also no 50-state warning system specific to BHA, BHT, titanium dioxide or propyl gallate beyond standard label disclosure requirements.
The result is a patchwork. A product can be legal for sale nationally while also facing reformulation pressure in a major state market such as California. For now, what is confirmed is that Red No. 3 is on a federal phaseout schedule and on California’s separate ban list, while the other additives discussed here remain broadly permitted in U.S. packaged foods.
Why the additives persist, and what that means for consumers
These ingredients remain common because they serve specific manufacturing functions that food companies still value. FDA materials describe titanium dioxide as a whitening color additive, while preservatives such as BHA, BHT and propyl gallate help slow oxidation and extend shelf life in products containing fats and oils. In practical terms, that helps manufacturers preserve appearance, texture and stability during shipping and storage.
Cancer hazard language does not automatically produce an immediate food ban. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified titanium dioxide as possibly carcinogenic to humans in 2006 based on inhalation exposure, not ordinary dietary consumption. The National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens lists BHA as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, but that listing does not itself revoke FDA authorization for food use.
For consumers, the near-term expectation is not a sweeping removal of all disputed additives from store shelves. The FDA’s announced deadlines apply specifically to Red No. 3, and the agency has separately said it is pursuing broader action on petroleum-based synthetic dyes, including faster voluntary removal efforts for some colors. But unless federal or state rules change further, titanium dioxide, BHA, BHT and propyl gallate can still legally appear in packaged foods sold in the United States.