The FDA is banning this soda additive. Here’s why

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of brominated vegetable oil, a food additive most often found in citrus-flavored sodas and sports drinks.

According to the agency, BVO, a vegetable oil modified with bromine, is no longer considered safe to use in food. The decision comes after the results of a study conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health found there was a potential for adverse health effects in humans.

Bromine is used as food stabilizer primarily in citrus drinks to keep the flavoring from separating and floating to the top.

According to USA TODAY, the FDA issued a proposed rule to revoke the regulation allowing BVO to be used in food in November of last year. The move came shortly after California banned BVO and three other food additives in October 2023.

BVO was also banned in the United Kingdom in 1970 followed by the European Union in 2008, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an independent food and health watchdog organization. India and Japan have also banned the ingredient.

What sodas contain BVO?

More than 600 branded products may still contain BVO, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited by USA Today.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows over 600 branded products that may still contain BVO, reports USA TODAY. One said brand that still contains BVO is Sun Drop manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper.

To see if a product contains BVO, you can check its ingredient list.

Thomas Galligan, Ph.D., principal scientist for food additives and supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, offered TODAY.com a few more tips for spotting BVO.

• It’s most common in citrus-flavored drinks.
• If the drink looks cloudy throughout the bottle, it may contain BVO.
• Generic, off-brand sodas are more likely to have BVO than name brands.
• If you’re drinking fountain soda in a restaurant, they usually carry name brands, so the risk of it having BVO is lower, but ask a restaurant worker about the brand and ingredients if you’re concerned.