FDA bans use of BVO in all food and beverages

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Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of brominated vegetable oil in foods and beverages last week after determining the ingredient is unsafe.
• Previously the FDA allowed BVO — an oil that has been modified with bromine, a naturally occurring chemical element — for use in small amounts, and it was mostly used in beverages to keep citrus flavoring from floating to the top.
• The decision was made after the government department collaborated with the National Institute of Health on a series of studies which found the ingredient had adverse health effects.

Dive Insight:

The ban officially goes into effect on Aug. 2 and after that date, companies will have one year to “reformulate, relabel and stop selling products that contain BVO,” the FDA said. 

BVO is in very few beverage products, as most of the U.S.’s popular soda brands have already moved away from using the ingredients. However, there are still around 600 food and beverage products that contain BVO, according to a database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

SunDrop from Keurig Dr. Pepper, for example, contains the ingredient, along with Orangette orange soda which can be found at Walmart stores. There are also two soda brands from Giant grocery stores that contain BVO, according to Today.

BVO has been found to cause hyperthyroidism, when the gland produces too little of the thyroid hormone, leading to weight gain and in some cases depression. Too much of the ingredient can also damage the central nervous system.

Before the FDA took a stance on BVO, California was the first state to ban the use of the ingredient in October of 2023, along with potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3. Since then, other states including Missouri, Washington, New York and Illinois have followed suit.