The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food products as from 2 August, but companies will have a year to reformulate and re-label products and deplete their BVO inventory, the agency said.
BVO is modified with the chemical bromine and has been used in small amounts to keep citrus flavouring from floating to the top in beverages.
CNN reports that dozens of products, mostly beverages, use BVO as an ingredient, according to the Food Scores database run by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research and advocacy group that focuses on consumer health, toxic chemicals and pollutants.
Because the food additive was removed from the FDA’s list of Generally Recognised as Safe or “GRAS” substance list in 1970 and has been regulated since then, only a few products still contain BVO, the FDA said.
“Over the years many beverage makers reformulated their products to replace it with an alternative ingredient,” said James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods.
Studies point to health concerns
BVO can accumulate in the body and has been linked to health hazards that include nervous system damage, headaches, skin and mucous membrane irritation, fatigue and loss of muscle co-ordination and memory.
A 1976 study found that consumption of BVO by pigs damaged their hearts, kidneys, livers and testicles.
The FDA cited a 2022 study in the proposal to revoke the BVO regulation that found rats given BVO had the substance’s derivatives accumulated in their heart, liver and fat.
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