FDA officially banning soda ingredient that's 'no longer considered safe'

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is officially outlawing a soda ingredient that’s already been banned in several countries.

The FDA said it will revoke the authorization that previously permitted the use of brominated vegetable oil — which is a vegetable oil that’s modified with bromine — in food.

“The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health found the potential for adverse health effects in humans,” said the FDA.

Brominated vegetable oil had previously been authorized as a food additive in small quantities. It is used in products like citrus-flavored sodas to help maintain the tangy taste mixed throughout the beverages.

The rule banning BVO in food is effective on Aug. 2, and companies will have one year from that date to comply. This gives them a buffer to reformulate, relabel, and deplete any inventory with products containing BVO, according to the FDA.

BVO is outlawed in other parts of the world including in Europe, India and Japan.

The ingredient is used in at least 70 products sold in the U.S., according to Food Safety News.

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• FDA works to finally ban soda ingredient outlawed in other countries