Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)

Brominated vegetable oil keeps citrus flavor suspended in sodas like Mountain Dew, yet contains bromine — a flame retardant component — that accumulates in body tissue. The FDA's November 2023 proposed ban, finalized in July 2024, cited studies showing thyroid damage and heart lesions in rats at 2,500 ppm. This 54-year delay from first safety concerns in 1970 echoes the regulatory inertia seen with #5 (chlorine-washed chicken). The EU and Japan have banned BVO for decades; even the UK — often aligned with US food policy — prohibits it. California preempted the federal ban with a 2027 prohibition. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola removed BVO from major brands by 2014 after public outcry, but regional sodas like Sun Drop still used it through 2020. The ban affects less than 0.1% of US beverages, but its symbolism is immense: a chemical safe by US standards yet outlawed globally for half a century.