Problematic additives
BHT (E321)
E
Avoid
Description
Synthetic antioxidant.
Benefits
Preserves fats
Risks
Suspected carcinogen, liver toxicity
History and origin
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was developed alongside BHA in the 1950s as an industrial antioxidant. It is still used in some budget pet food as a shelf-life extender. Like BHA, it is classified as possibly carcinogenic by the IARC based on rodent studies showing liver and kidney tumour promotion at high doses. The pet food industry defends BHT at the doses used, but natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract) achieve the same shelf-life at marginally higher cost. PetFoodRate automatically deducts undesirables points for any product listing BHT.
Species adaptability
Avoid for
- Dogs
- Cats
- Rabbits
- Ferrets
- Birds