The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned an additive in soft drinks starting next month due to health concerns.
The FDA said Tuesday that the has withdrawn its regulations which allowed the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food because it is “no longer considered safe.” The agency cited studies conducted with the National Institutes of Health that “showed the potential for adverse health effects in humans.”
The new rule will take effect on August 2.
BVO is commonly added to soft drinks to prevent citrus flavors from separating and floating to the top of the drink. The FDA initially proposed banning BVO in food last fall, pointing to studies who discovered that the additive is toxic to the thyroid gland.
The ingredients list may list “brominated vegetable oil” or a more specific oil, such as “brominated soybean oil.” The FDA noted that many beverage manufacturers have reformulated their recipes to replace BVO with another ingredient, adding that only “a few” beverages in the U.S. still contain the additive.
Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for Human Foods Program, said: in a statement that the agency is “committed to conducting reassessments to ensure that our original safety determinations have held up over time.”
“Removing the only permitted use of BVO from the food supply was based on a thorough evaluation of current scientific and research evidence that raised safety concerns,” he said.
“We will continue to monitor emerging evidence on the chemicals we have identified for reassessment and in cases like this, where the science no longer supports their continued authorized use, we will take action to protect public health,” he added.
