The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just dropped a bombshell on the beverage industry, banning a once-common additive called brominated vegetable oil (BVO) due to its toxic effects.1
This decision, long overdue according to many, puts big soda companies on notice and raises questions about the safety of other ingredients we’ve long considered harmless.
What is BVO?
BVO, simply vegetable oil modified with bromine, has been used in foods since the 1920s. It acts as a stabilizer for fruit flavorings, particularly in citrusy beverages, preventing separation and floating.
The FDA’s long-awaited proposed ban on BVO arrived just weeks after California signed the Food Safety Act into law. This act, taking effect in 2027, prohibits the sale of products containing brominated vegetable oil, Red 3, propylparaben, and potassium bromate within the state.(ref)
Safety Concerns
BVO leaves bromine residues in body fat and organs, potentially causing neurological issues.(ref) However, only one case report links these effects directly to BVO in soda.(ref) Bromine toxicity is more commonly caused by occupational exposure or contaminated water.(ref)
The FDA initially authorized BVO in 1958 and deemed it “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the early 1960s.
This limit was authorized on an “interim basis,” pending further safety studies. In 1970, the FDA revoked BVO’s GRAS designation but maintained the 15-ppm limit due to the lack of immediate health threats indicated by safety studies.
Recent Studies
The interim safety limit remained in place for over five decades while the FDA awaited more safety data.
A 2022 rat study, mimicking human exposure at the 15-ppm limit, revealed abnormalities in thyroids, alterations in hormone signaling, and accumulation of brominated fatty acids in the hearts, livers, and fat of the animals.(ref)
Proposed Ban & Industry Response
The FDA proposed the ban in November 2023, acknowledging the need for a faster and more efficient process for evaluating chemicals in the food supply.
By then, major soda makers like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo had already phased out BVO from their products due to public pressure.(ref)
In the FDA statement, currently, only a few beverages in the U.S. still contain the additive. In October, a spokesperson from Keurig Dr Pepper informed the Washington Post of its intention to gradually remove BVO from its citrus-flavored soda, Sun Drop.(ref)
Consumer Advocacy & Implementation Timeline
James Jones, the deputy commissioner for the FDA’s Human Foods Program, stated that the decision to remove BVO from the food supply was based on a comprehensive review of current scientific and research findings that raised safety concerns.(ref)
Manufacturers now have one year to reformulate their products to comply with the ban.
Read Next
In a landmark decision, the FDA has banned the use of PFAS, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” in food packaging. This ban addresses growing concerns about the health risks posed by these persistent substances, which have been widely used in various consumer products for decades.
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Nancy Maffia
Nancy received a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.
