What are BHA, BHT and Mixed Tocopherols?
BHA, BHT and mixed tocopherols are commonly referred to as antioxidants and are used to help keep pet food fresh by preventing the fats and oils from going rancid. Both BHA and BHT have also been used in pet foods to help preserve fat since the 1960’s and are synthetic preservatives. The safety of BHA and BHT has not been scrutinized heavily in pet food because they are also approved for use in a wide variety of human foods in most countries including the United States. Mixed tocopherols are natural compounds extracted from plant oils like soybean oil and others. They are similar in structure to vitamin E and because they are natural, are widely used throughout the pet food industry. Sometimes mixed tocopherols are blended with both vitamin C and rosemary to make them even more effective in preventing oxidation.
