On July 3rd, the FDA prohibited the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food and beverages. Typically, we see brominated vegetable oil in citrus-flavored drinks, mostly sodas. The good news is that all the big boy soda brands quit using it long ago, but a lot of off-brand and store-brand sodas still do.
A 1976 study discovered that pigs’ hearts, kidneys, livers, and testicles were all harmed by BVO ingestion. In its request to repeal the BVO regulation, the FDA referenced a 2022 study that discovered individuals who were consumed larger amounts of BVO had accumulations of the substance’s byproducts in their fat, liver, and heart.
BVO, a substance that has been altered with bromine, keeps flavors from floating to the top of citrus beverages. All you Mountain Dew and Gatorade lovers, they JUST stopped using BVO in 2016. So which sodas still have BVO in themhere in the US?
- Dr. Pepper’s Sun Drop
- Store brands: Giant Orange Soda, Orangette, Mountain Lightning, Stars & Stripes from Walmart, HEB Orange Burst, Clover Valley Real Jamaican Cola and Pineapple Orange Borden’s Sun Burst from Dollar General