SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Decades after concerns were first raised about brominated vegetable oil, known as BVO, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally banned its use.
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“On July 3, 2024, the FDA issued a final rule to revoke the regulation allowing the use of BVO in food. The rule is effective on August 2, 2024,” said the administration . “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.”
BVO, vegetable oil with added bromine (a reddish-brown element that is naturally occurring in the Earth’s crust ) started appearing in foods in the 1920s. Today, it is most often found in generic branded fruity sodas. Scott Faber, senior vice president of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group, explained that the oil keeps citrus flavors in suspension in an interview with KCBS Radio.
“Europe, Japan and other countries, have banned BVO for many years. Some of the big brands here in the United States have voluntarily removed BVO from sodas,” said Faber, who used Mountain Dew as an example. “But a lot of the store brands, the retailer store brands that you might see on the shelves that are less expensive versions of your favorite fruity or citrusy sodas may still have BVO.”
As late as the 1950s and 1960s, the FDA considered BVO to be “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS. However, it lost this distinction by the late 1960s due to toxicity concerns. In 2014, the FDA reassessed information about BVO and later published approved methods for measuring it. Then, the FDA published a study of the effects of BVO consumption in rodents in 2022.
“The data from the study suggest that oral exposure to BVO is associated with increased tissue levels of bromine and that at high levels of exposure the thyroid is a target organ of potential negative health effects in rodents,” said the FDA.
Faber said that “there’s been research showing that large amounts of BVO containing soda ingested over long periods of time can cause a number of problems, everything from headaches and skin irritation to fatigue and even the loss of muscle coordination and memory.”
Last November, Audacy reported that the FDA proposed a revocation of the regulation authorizing BVO. At the time, the administration cited research linking BVO to thyroid issues.
With the official revocation in place, Faber said that companies now have the task of removing BVO from their products. Since California already banned the oil, some already have a head start. Back in November, Audacy reported that some brand names that might still contain BVO were Sun Drop and Orangette .
“Unfortunately, a lot of it will be consumed,” as the rule kicks in, said Faber. “It’s not like a pathogen where it will make you sick right away and or worse. It’s the kind of chemical exposure that will harm you from repeat exposure.”
People who want to make sure they’re not buying a product that contains BVO can check their soda cans or bottles. It should be listed there.
KCBS Radio’s Eric Thomas asked if the fruity sodas will taste different without BVO in them.
“No, no, of course not,” said Faber. “And food companies are great innovators. They’re constantly changing their recipes. Many of them have already changed the recipes for things everyone loves, like Mountain Dew, to remove BVO And I guarantee you, Mountain Dew tastes better than ever.”
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