Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is the antioxidant the food industry lists as E319. In our table it is low risk: it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100).
- The key finding, from EFSA: ADI 0.7 mg/kg bw (JECFA 1998, confirmed by EFSA 2004). 'using the maximum permitted levels, exposure estimates exceed the ADI ... at the high level for toddlers and children, however, in the refined exposure scenarios, the ADI was not exceeded in any of the population groups.' The 2004 opinion had also flagged that infant-formula use could push infants over the ADI (10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4363 (EFSA Journal 2016;14(1):4363))
- Flagged for young children. Set only where EFSA’s own exposure assessment shows toddlers or children exceeding or approaching the ADI, or where a regulator used explicitly child-specific language. For a child under 6 it moves up one class, to moderate risk.
- Where you meet it. It turns up in 10 of the 10,000 packaged foods scanned most on Open Food Facts, most often in sauces. Nine in ten of those foods are sold in Europe (counted 26 Sep 2026).
- 3 citations from EFSA, peer-reviewed research and the FDA, each one below.
What TBHQ does to a score
A packaged food's additive subscore starts at 100 and loses points for each additive on the label; that subscore is a third of the final score. TBHQ takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100), and a child under 6 sees it one class higher again. Scan the pack in Sito and the score you get is the one for your own child's age, with this additive named in the reasons. How we score has the whole method.
See what is in your own cupboard
Scan a packaged food and Sito names the additives in it, then scores the product out of 100 for your child's age.
What the sources found
Every classification in our table comes from the citations below, and nothing else. Each finding is our one-line summary of what the source concluded, with the source and reference beside it.
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EFSA
10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4363 (EFSA Journal 2016;14(1):4363)
ADI 0.7 mg/kg bw (JECFA 1998, confirmed by EFSA 2004). 'using the maximum permitted levels, exposure estimates exceed the ADI ... at the high level for toddlers and children, however, in the refined exposure scenarios, the ADI was not exceeded in any of the population groups.' The 2004 opinion had also flagged that infant-formula use could push infants over the ADI. -
Peer-reviewed
Alarming impact of the excessive use of tert-butylhydroquinone in food products: a narrative review, Toxicol Rep 2022; doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.04.027
Reviews immunomodulatory and endocrine signals for TBHQ (Nrf2 activation, altered T-cell responses) that are not reflected in current regulatory status. -
FDA
21 CFR §172.185 (TBHQ)
Permitted in the US, limited to 0.02% of the oil/fat content of the food.
Why this class
A credible adverse or precautionary signal that stops short of every Moderate and High criterion: peer-reviewed adverse findings not yet reflected in regulatory status, an exposure exceedance confined to high-percentile or single-event estimates, or a precautionary regulatory step short of those criteria, a reduced ADI, a data limitation noted without an adverse conclusion, a narrowed or conditioned authorisation, or a child-focused assessment or school-food law that covers the additive as part of a class.
Our confidence in this row's classification is medium. Medium or low does not mean the evidence is weak; it means something about the row is still being pinned down, usually a regulatory status confirmed from one source rather than two.
Questions parents ask
Is TBHQ (E319) safe for kids?
Low risk. In Sito it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). It is flagged for young children, so for a child under 6 it moves up one class, to moderate risk: 15 points off the additive subscore. The finding we rely on: ADI 0.7 mg/kg bw (JECFA 1998, confirmed by EFSA 2004). 'using the maximum permitted levels, exposure estimates exceed the ADI ... at the high level for toddlers and children, however, in the refined exposure scenarios, the ADI was not exceeded in any of the population groups.' The 2004 opinion had also flagged that infant-formula use could push infants over the ADI (EFSA, 10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4363 (EFSA Journal 2016;14(1):4363)).
What is E319?
E319 is the E number for Tertiary-butylhydroquinone, an antioxidant. It is also called TBHQ. Open Food Facts tags it en:e319.
Next to it on the label
The E numbers either side of E319 in our table, then the closest antioxidants by number.
- Octyl gallate (E311), high risk
- Dodecyl gallate (E312), high risk
- Erythorbic acid (E315), no risk identified
- Sodium erythorbate (E316), no risk identified
- BHA (E320), high risk
- BHT (E321), low risk, flagged for young children