Your favorite pepperoni roll could be illegal under new food dye ban
Butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, is commonly used as a preservative to extend the shelf life of certain foods. Clay Marsh, the Chancellor and Executive Dean of West Virginia University Health Sciences, explained to 12 News in an interview that BHA acts as a food 'stabilizer,' meaning it slows down the pace of food spoilage.
However, Marsh says that in the medical community, a handful of studies have suggested BHA could be toxic in humans, similar to Red 3, and is commonly used in foods linked to obesity, pre-diabetes and high cholesterol. BHA is already banned in foods across Europe, and states like West Virginia and California adopting similar policies could foreshadow more bans here in the United States.
'I do think that this is something that's going to catch on more and more. California started but only had four on their list, we extended that to seven,' Marsh said. '[West Virginia has] now become I think the leading sort of state in the country that is spearheading this effort.'
Because BHA is fat soluble, it is commonly used to preserve meats like pepperoni and salami, though 12 News also found it listed as an ingredient in Hungry Jack instant mashed potatoes. According to a National Toxicology Program (NTP) report on BHA, it is also sometimes used in animal feed, cosmetics, butter, cereals, vegetable oils and some snack foods, and 'is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity fromstudies in experimental animals.'
What might be of particular interest to West Virginians, however, is BHA's use in pepperoni rolls. 12 News visited two grocery stores, Kroger and Walmart, and found that BHA is used in nearly all varieties of pepperoni. Brands and varieties of pepperoni that contain BHA include:
Armour pepperoni
Hormel Pepperoni
Sugardale pepperoni
Boar's Head pepperoni
Kroger brand pepperoni
Great Value pepperoni
Prima Della pre-sliced pepperoni
Prime Fresh Delicatessen pepperoni
Armour turkey pepperoni
Hormel turkey pepperoni
Are pepperoni rolls really illegal outside West Virginia?
By extension, many frozen pizza brands will also have to change the kind of pepperoni they use to top their pizza, including Digiorno Pizza and Red Baron.
At the time of our visit, Walmart did not have any prepackaged pepperoni in stock that was BHA-free, though Kroger had a handful of options. If you want to find pepperoni or salami varieties that do not contain BHA, keep an eye out for words like 'uncured,' 'natural,' or 'organic.' You can find a handful of BHA varieties listed below:
Galileo pepperoni
Hormel Natural Choice pepperoni
Kroger Private Selection pepperoni
Although pepperoni will not be 'illegal' when House Bill 2354 goes into effect in 2028, it is worth noting that an overwhelming majority of pepperoni brands will have to change or be pulled from shelves.
However, some local pepperoni roll brands already use BHA-free pepperoni:
Tomaro's Bakery
D'Annunzio's
Chico Bakery (Julia's Original Pepperoni Roll)
At the same time, others do not, and will need to change the kind of pepperoni they use in their recipe to comply before the Jan 1, 2028 deadline:
Barney's Bakery, the official pepperoni roll of the West Virginia Mountaineers
Roger's and Mazza's
Abruzzino's Peperoni Rolls
Home Industry Bakery
House Bill 2354 also impacts what food schools can serve in their lunches; Kanawha County Schools has already said it will switch the pepperoni in its pepperoni rolls to comply with the school deadline of Aug. 1, 2025.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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