Hidden Names for BHA & BHT on Food Labels

BHA & BHT hides under 8 different names on food labels. Synthetic preservatives that are potential carcinogens, banned in some countries but common in US foods. We found it in 19 products in our database.

8
Hidden Names
19
Products Found
42
Avg Score

All 8 Hidden Names for BHA & BHT

If you see ANY of these on a food label, the product contains BHA & BHT:

BHA BHT butylated hydroxyanisole butylated hydroxytoluene E320 E321 tertiary butylhydroquinone TBHQ

🔍 How to Spot It

BHA and BHT are commonly found in cereals, snack foods, chewing gum, butter, and vegetable oils. They're also in food packaging materials, so they may not even appear on the ingredient list.

⚠️ Health Note

BHA is 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' by the US National Toxicology Program. BHT is restricted in several countries. Both are still GRAS in the US.

Real Label Examples

Here's how BHA & BHT appears in actual product ingredient lists (highlighted in yellow):

ULTIMATE MEAT MILD ITALIAN SAUSAGE, PREMIUM SLICED PEPPERONI, SEASONED BEEF CRUMBLES, SLICED BEEF STEAK, AND SMOKY BACON TRADITIONAL CRUST MEDIUM PIZZA, ULTIMATE MEAT by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
CRUST (UNBLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], WATER, YEAST, PALM OIL, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR OLIVE POMACE OIL AND/OR EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL), SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, GUM ACACIA, CALCIU...
equate body wash by Unknown
OF REACH INGREDIENTS: WATER (AQUA), SODIUM TRIDECETH SULFATE OR SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE,GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL, SODIUM CHLORIDE, COCAMIDE MEA, SODIUM LAUROAMPHOACETATE,SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE, LAURIC ACID, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), SODIUM LAUROYL ISETHIONATE, STEARIC ACID, CITRIC ACID,GLYCERIN, GUAR HY...
BUTTERY SMOOTH TEXTURED CRACKERS, BUTTERY SMOOTH by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), HIGH OLEIC CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CORN SYRUP, ...

Products Containing BHA & BHT (19 Found)

These products contain BHA & BHT or one of its aliases, sorted by lowest safety score:

#ProductBrandScore
1ULTIMATE MEAT MILD ITALIAN SAUSAGE, PREMIUM SLICED PEPPERONI, SEASONED BEEF CRUMBLES, SLICED BEEF STEAK, AND SMOKY BACON TRADITIONAL CRUST MEDIUM PIZZA, ULTIMATE MEATWal-Mart Stores, Inc.2/100
2equate body washUnknown8/100
3BUTTERY SMOOTH TEXTURED CRACKERS, BUTTERY SMOOTHWal-Mart Stores, Inc.20/100
4MULTI-GRAIN CRACKERS, MULTI-GRAINWal-Mart Stores, Inc.22/100
5SWEETENED CHOCOLATE FLAVORED RICE CEREAL, SWEETENED CHOCOLATEPost Consumer Brands, LLC23/100
6PEPPERONI FRENCH BREAD TOPPED WITH PIZZA SAUCE, MOZZARELLA CHEESE FRENCH BREAD SINGLES PIZZAS, PEPPERONIThe Schwan Food Company24/100
7COUNTRY FRIED BEEF STEAK WITH SIGNATURE, HOMESTYLE MASHED POTATOES & COUNTRY-STYLE GRAVY, COUNTRY FRIED BEEF STEAKOverhill Farms, Inc.24/100
8Banquet Salisbury Steak with Creamy Mashed Potatoes & Cinnamon Apple Dessert, Frozen Meal, 11.88 oz.Conagra Brands, Inc24/100
9Equate Complete MultivitaminEquate24/100
10Prenatal VitaminsCVS Health45/100
11MINIATURES MILK CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER CUPS, MILK CHOCOLATE; PEANUT BUTTERThe Hershey Company50/100
12MARSHMALLOW FLAVORED CEREAL WITH MARSHMALLOWS, MARSHMALLOWThe Kellogg Company 56/100
13PITA OVER BAKED CRACKERS, PITAKeebler Company63/100
14GREAT VALUE, CRISP RICE CEREALWal-Mart Stores, Inc.68/100
15MARKETSIDE, MEDIUM PEPPERONI PIZZAWal-Mart Stores, Inc.68/100
16SAM'S CHOICE, PERSONAL DOUBLE PEPPERONI PIZZAWal-Mart Stores, Inc.68/100
17TARGET STORE SUGAR COOKIE KIT, TARGET STORETarget Stores68/100
18GREAT VALUE, CRUNCHY HONEY OATS WITH ALMONDS CEREALWal-Mart Stores, Inc.68/100
19MILK CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER CREME SANTAS, MILK CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER CREMEThe Hershey Company78/100
📬

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hidden names for BHA & BHT?
BHA & BHT can appear on food labels under 8 different names including: BHA, BHT, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, E320, E321, and 2 more.
How many products contain BHA & BHT?
In our database of 26,000+ grocery products, we found 19 products containing BHA & BHT or one of its aliases.
How can I avoid BHA & BHT in food?
BHA and BHT are commonly found in cereals, snack foods, chewing gum, butter, and vegetable oils. They're also in food packaging materials, so they may not even appear on the ingredient list. The easiest way is to use the CheckIt AI app to scan any product — it automatically detects all 8 hidden names.
Is BHA & BHT dangerous?
BHA is 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' by the US National Toxicology Program. BHT is restricted in several countries. Both are still GRAS in the US.
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📋 Cite This Data
APACheckIt AI. (2026). "8 Hidden Names for BHA & BHT — How to Spot It on Labels | CheckIt AI". Climaverse PBC. Retrieved from https://getcheck.it/hidden-names/bha-bht
MLA"8 Hidden Names for BHA & BHT — How to Spot It on Labels | CheckIt AI." CheckIt AI, Climaverse PBC, 2026-03-05. https://getcheck.it/hidden-names/bha-bht.
HTML Embed<a href="https://getcheck.it/hidden-names/bha-bht">8 Hidden Names for BHA & BHT — How to Spot It on Labels | CheckIt AI — CheckIt AI</a>
BibTeX@misc{checkit2026hiddennamesbhabht, title = {8 Hidden Names for BHA & BHT — How to Spot It on Labels | CheckIt AI}, author = {CheckIt AI}, year = {2026}, publisher = {Climaverse PBC}, url = {https://getcheck.it/hidden-names/bha-bht}, note = {Retrieved 2026-03-05} }