The FDA Outlawed a Soda Ingredient Banned Around The World. Here’s Why.

An ingredient once commonly used in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the tangy taste mixed thoroughly through the beverage was finally banned for good across the US this year.

The FDA revoked the registration of a modified vegetable oil known as BVO in the wake of recent toxicology studies.

“The proposed action is an example of how the agency monitors emerging evidence and, as needed, conducts scientific research to investigate safety related questions, and takes regulatory action when the science does not support the continued safe use of additives in foods,” James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods, explained when announcing the proposal in 2023.

BVO, or brominated vegetable oil, was used as an emulsifying agent since the 1930s to ensure citrus flavoring agents don’t float to the top of sodas. Sticking a dozen bromine atoms to a triglyceride creates a dense oil that floats evenly throughout water when mixed with less dense fats.