FDA proposes US ban on brominated vegetable oil, an additive found in sodas

14 Nov 2023

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a ban on brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food and drink products, following a similar ban by the state of California, after scientific studies in animals found that the ingredient may be harmful to human health.

Research published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal last year found that oral exposure to BVO in rats and pigs was linked to increased levels of bromine in body tissue and potential thyroid damage. These studies show that BVO can be toxic to the thyroid and can lead to accumulation of bromine in the body at levels relevant to human exposure.

Given these findings, the FDA concluded in a statement released last week that the use of BVO in food and drink products is no longer safe.

“Although BVO has a long history of use in foods and was at one time considered GRAS [generally recognized as safe], we have continued to study it to understand any potential health impacts. Recent toxicology studies conducted in collaboration with the NIH have now given us conclusive scientific evidence to support our proposal to remove the FDA’s food additive authorization for BVO,” said James Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA.