Soda additive linked to thyroid toxicity may finally get banned by FDA

Enlarge / Sundrop is among the citrus soft drinks that still contains BVO. (credit: Sun Drop)

The Food and Drug Administration may finally ban a food additive used in citrusy drinks that the agency determined over 50 years ago could not be considered generally safe. The agency proposed a ban on the additive Thursday.

The additive is brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is a flavoring emulsifier and stabilizer that has been used to keep citrus flavoring from separating and floating to the top of soft drinks since the 1920s. It was previously used in big brand-name beverages such as Mountain Dew and Gatorade but has been removed amid toxicity concerns in recent years. Since at least 2014, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have been phasing out BVO from their drinks, though it can still be found in some store-brand sodas and regional drinks, including the citrus soda Sun Drop.

BVO is already banned in Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. In October of this year, California banned BVO, along with other problematic food additives, including red dye No. 3. (While reporting California's ban on red dye No. 3, Ars also reported that the FDA planned to ban BVO.)