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It Took Only 54 Years for the FDA to Ban This Food Additive

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently banned brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a food additive. According to the FDA, it was used “as a stabilizer for fruit flavoring in beverages to keep citrus flavoring from floating to the top.” But now BVO is no longer considered safe and will be removed from all food in the United States. If only we knew sooner! Well, we did. The UK banned BVO in 1970, India in 1990, the EU in 2008 and Japan in 2010. Research showed that consuming large amounts could lead to kidney damage. Other studies found negative effects on the thyroid with bromine.

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 BVO: The FDA finally bans brominated vegetable oil

In fact, the decision to ban BVO in 2024, more than 50 years after the first indications that it is toxic were reported to the agency, is an “indictment of the FDA,” says Thomas Galligan, CSPI’s principal scientist for food additives and supplements. “It’s too little too late. Consumers shouldn’t wait decades for commonsense food safety regulations to come from FDA or other agencies, and we can’t rely on industry to regulate itself in the meantime. BVO is fortunately mostly removed from the food supply already, which is great, but FDA should have made this decision years ago.”

 Drink Ingredient Gets a Look

Sarah Kavanagh and her little brother were looking forward to the bottles of Gatorade they had put in the refrigerator after playing outdoors one hot, humid afternoon last month in Hattiesburg, Miss. But before she took a sip, Sarah, a dedicated vegetarian, did what she often does and checked the label to make sure no animal products were in the drink. One ingredient, brominated vegetable oil, caught her eye. “I knew it probably wasn’t from an animal because it had vegetable in the name, but I still wanted to know what it was, so I Googled it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “A page popped up with a long list of possible side effects, including neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. I didn’t expect that.”

 The FDA will no longer allow this potentially harmful additive found in some sodas

Brominated vegetable oil can accumulate in the body and has been linked to health hazards, according to the EWG. Those include nervous system damage, headaches, skin and mucous membrane irritation, fatigue and loss of muscle coordination and memory.

Articles of Interest

Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)

The FDA no longer allows for the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food. On July 3, 2024, the FDA revoked its food additive regulation. The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studiesExternal Link Disclaimer conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the potential for adverse health effects in humans. The FDA took this action consistent with our regulatory authority over ingredients added to food, which includes reassessing previously evaluated food ingredients and addressing safety concerns.

Why your soda may taste different following FDA ban on controversial additive

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.