FDA proposes banning soda additive

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday proposed banning a chemical that’s added to soda, citing negative health impacts.

The ban, if finalized, would apply to brominated vegetable oil (BVO) — an ingredient that’s added to sodas to prevent citrus flavoring from separating and floating to the top of the drink. 

In proposing to ban the substance, the FDA pointed to findings that the ingredient is toxic to the thyroid.

The FDA said that over the years, many beverage-makers have reformulated their products to replace BVO.

But, according to the Environmental Working Group, an environmental and consumer safety advocacy group, it can still be found in products on the market. 

Scott Faber, the group’s senior vice president for government affairs, said it can especially still be found in store-brand products and lesser-known regional brands. 

While the proposed rule does not appear to contain information on how much of the market will be impacted overall, it said that at most 2.5 percent of small businesses in the beverage manufacturing industry are likely to be impacted. 

On an ingredient label, BVO may appear as “brominated vegetable oil” or as a more specific oil such as “brominated soybean oil.”