What is brominated vegetable oil? FDA is no longer allowing it in drinks

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it is banning the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food items effective Aug. 2.

BVO, a vegetable oil modified with bromine, has been a food ingredient since the 1920s. It is typically used as a stabilizer in fruit-flavored beverages to prevent the citrus flavoring from floating to the top.

“Health concerns about BVO stem from one of its ingredients, bromine. Bromine can irritate the skin, nose, mouth and stomach,” Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic, told the Food Network last year.

“It’s also been linked to neurologic symptoms in people who drink large quantities of citrus soda — more than 2 liters a day,” she added.

BVO leaves remnants of bromine triglycerides in the liver, heart, brain and body fat. An accumulation of bromine can cause bromine toxicity, which can damage the central nervous system.

In 1970, the FDA removed BVO from the Generally Regarded as Safe List (GRAS) and restricted its use to products containing fruit flavorings.

Per the Center for Science in the Public Interest, BVO was banned in the UK in 1970, followed by India in 1990, the EU in 2008, and Japan in 2010.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last year prohibiting the sale of food containing BVO, Red 3, propylparaben and potassium bromate, starting in 2027. New York lawmakers followed suit by introducing similar legislation that would ban seven unsafe food additives, including BVO.

The FDA ban comes in the wake of research linking oral exposure to BVO to thyroid damage. The thyroid gland and thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and brain development.

Many food companies have already voluntarily reformulated their products to eliminate BVO.

Beverage titans PepsiCo and Coca-Cola removed BVO from Gatorade and Fanta products.

Sun Drop, manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, is the largest national brand to still feature the additive. Beverages from some smaller grocery store brands contain it as well.

Though the rule takes effect next month, beverage companies have a year to make the required adjustments.

“The compliance date for this rule is one year after the effective date to provide the opportunity for companies to reformulate, relabel, and deplete the inventory of BVO-containing products before the FDA begins enforcing the final rule,” the agency said Tuesday.