In a remarkable turn for public health, the U.S. FDA is set to revoke the approval of a long-debated food additive: brominated vegetable oil (BVO). This decision, made in March 2024, may have escaped your notice, but it’s worth a closer look to understand its implications. What are the implications of this ban on consumers and the beverage industry?
Brominated vegetable oil, better known by its acronym BVO, is an ingredient that you may have consumed without knowing it, particularly in certain citrus-flavored sodas.
The announced end of a controversial ingredient
This substance, introduced into the beverage industry to prevent aromas from rising to the surface of the liquidliquidis at the heart of a recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States. Last November, the agency proposed revoking the registration of BVO following recent toxicological studies revealing potential health risks.
The Hidden Dangers of BVO
The BVO works by setting atomsatoms of brominebromine to a triglyceride, creating a dense oil that mixes evenly in beverages.
However, this is not without consequences. Animal studies have shown that BVO can gradually accumulate in fatty tissues, potentially interfering with the vital role of iodine in the thyroid.
These concerns are not new. BVO is banned in many countries, including India, Japan and the European Union. In California, a ban will finally take effect in 2027.
Slow but necessary regulatory developments
Historically, the FDA had classified BVO as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the 1950s. But in the face of growing doubts about its toxicity, the agency revised its position in the following decade, restricting its use to citrus-flavored beverages and at low concentrations.
Data on the long-term risks of BVO, while difficult to collect, have begun to accumulate. A British study in the 1970s even found accumulations of bromine in human tissues, associated with cardiac and behavioral problems in animals.
Manufacturers ahead of regulations
Fortunately, big names in the beverage industry, such as PepsiCo and Coca-ColaCoca-Colahave anticipated regulations by phasing out BVO from their products over the past decade.
” Over the years, many beverage manufacturers have reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient, and today, few beverages in the United States contain BVO. ” says James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods.
Towards a future without BVO
The FDA’s decision to revoke BVO’s approval could herald other bans on controversial food additives.
The agency is currently reviewing regulations that allow the use of certain food additives, considering automatically banning any food coloring known to cause cancer in humans or animals. The move is intended to make the bureaucratic process more agile and reagentreagent to new scientific data.
With alternatives already used around the world to give lemon drinks that tangy taste right down to the last dropdropBVO will likely not be missed by anyone. The FDA reevaluation process will take time, but it is a necessary step to ensure food safety and protect public health.
