The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will ban the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food due to safety concerns. Effective August 2nd, the agency will revoke regulations that previously approved BVO following conclusive research highlighting its potential adverse effects on the human body.
The FDA’s decision follows extensive research conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that found BVO poses health risks. The FDA initially proposed to withdraw the regulation in November 2023, and its final decision reflects a rigorous review process.
Under FDA regulations, products containing BVO were required to state so on their labels, but the beverage industry is slowly phasing it out, with major companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola already removing BVO from popular products like Gatorade and Fanta.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has been a vocal supporter of the ban, highlighting the chemical’s toxicity. Michael Ashley Shulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, praised the FDA’s action as a positive step toward ensuring food safety.
BVO is a compound that contains bromine (also found in flame retardants) and is used in small amounts in citrus drinks to keep their flavor uniform. Despite its widespread use, concerns about its safety have persisted for decades.
Historically, BVO has been scrutinized and banned around the world: the UK banned BVO in 1970, followed by India in 1990, the European Union in 2008, and Japan in 2010. The FDA also expressed concerns about the safety of BVO as early as 1970, regulating it as a food additive while conducting further safety evaluations.
Despite these changes, some products still contain BVO. SunDrop, a citrus soda made by Keurig Dr Pepper Co., is one of the few national brands that uses the additive. Keurig Dr Pepper Co. said in a statement emailed to Reuters that it is “proactively reformulating our beverages to eliminate this controversial ingredient,” adding that it “will continue to comply with all state and federal regulations.”
The BVO ban is expected to have a minimal impact on the beverage market as the industry transitions to alternative ingredients. As consumer awareness of food safety continues to grow, this decision by the FDA marks an important milestone in the ongoing effort to eliminate potentially harmful substances from the food supply.
