FDA Seeks Ban on Food Additive With Potential Adverse Effects: ‘No Longer Considered Safe’

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday proposed a ban on a food additive that could potentially have adverse health effects in humans.

The FDA said the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food is "no longer considered safe" in a press release. The recommendation comes after the FDA collaborated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on several studies into the additive's health effects.

BVO, a vegetable oil modified with bromine, is currently authorized by the FDA in small amounts to "keep the citrus flavoring from separating and floating to the top of some beverages."

The FDA decided BVO was not “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) in 1970. Since then, the administration monitored its use under food additive regulations.

Many beverage companies have already made efforts to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient. Few companies in the U.S. still use the additive.

The additive was previously an ingredient in Gatorade, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the New York Post reported. It is still in Sun Drop and some off-brand sodas.

“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 at the Mayo Clinic, told the Food Network.

Zeratsky said the additive can also cause neurological effects in people who drink more than two liters of citrus soda per day.

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of food containing four chemicals linked to health problems, including BVO.

New York is looking to ban those four chemicals plus titanium dioxide under Assembly Bill A6424.