The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently banned the use of a common beverage additive – Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO). BVO is a product of vegetable oil being brominated, containing a high amount of triglycerides, which has the effect of a stabilizer and has been used as a food additive since the 1920s. Some sports drinks and fruit-flavored beverages use it.
In 1970, the FDA began regulating the use of this compound in food, removing it from the list of “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) compounds and only allowing limited use in food. For example, some citrus-flavored drinks use this compound to prevent the citrus flavoring from floating on the surface of the drink and separating from the beverage. Furthermore, if a product contains this compound, the FDA requires manufacturers to clearly label it on the product’s ingredient list.
On July 2nd, the FDA issued an announcement stating the prohibition of the use of this additive in food. The announcement stated: “Our conclusion is that the use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe.” The FDA cited findings from their collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, stating that BVO “poses a potential hazard to human health.”
The FDA announcement also mentioned, “This is part of our regulatory action on food additives, including reevaluating previously assessed food ingredients to address safety concerns. Reassessing the safety of food ingredients based on the latest relevant data is the FDA’s top priority and a key part of our mission to maintain food safety.”
Bromine is a natural element, used as a pool cleaner like chlorine and also in flame retardants and other sedatives. However, BVO as a food additive has faced increasing resistance in recent years.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group, in an article announcing the FDA’s decision, stated that California banned the use of BVO in October last year, becoming the first state in the U.S. to do so. Additionally, the European Union, India, and the UK have also banned BVO.
CSPI stated that “BVO leaves behind brominated vegetable oil in human fat, liver, heart, and brain fat, excessive bromine content can cause bromine poisoning, damage the central nervous system, resulting in headaches, nausea, memory loss, and loss of coordination, and also have a certain impact on the thyroid gland.”
Which foods contain this ingredient? The FDA’s announcement stated, “Currently, there are almost no beverages in the U.S. containing BVO.” The most common beverage containing BVO that people may encounter is Sun Drop citrus soda. In addition, several chain supermarkets’ private label citrus juices, pineapple juices, or citrus-flavored sodas such as Giant, Food Lion, and Walmart still contain this ingredient.
This new regulation will take effect on August 1st, with compliance enforcement beginning a year later. In other words, manufacturers will have a year to redesign new formulations for all products containing this ingredient, update ingredient labels, and clear out inventory.