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This week, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration proposed repealing the permit for the use of brominated vegetable oil in food.
Food corporations have used the BVO additive since the 1920s. For decades, brands have used it to keep fruit aromas in a solid form that doesn’t separate or rise to the surface. It was used in some soft drinks, fruit juices, and other beverages containing citrus oil.
“The firm concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the effects of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed the potential for adverse effects on human health,” FDA chief James Jones said Thursday. the Deputy Commissioner of Food.
He noted that this resolution follows a recent ban on the item in California. In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law banning the sale of foods or beverages containing BVO and elements such as red dye 3 and potassium bromate.
The FDA is accepting comments on its proposal until January 17, 2024.
In 1958, the FDA was given the authority to protect food ingredients. In the years that followed, BVO was classified as sometimes identified as safe.
Over the years, new data showed possible health effects and the FDA removed it from the GRAS list in the 1960s. The company limited its use to a stabilizer that could not exceed 15 servings per million points in beverages.
The FDA notes that since then many beverage corporations have discovered stabilizers of choice. For example, in 2014, Coca-Cola announced that it would remove BVO from Powerade beverages.
But you can still use BVO in some soft drinks or other fruit-flavored beverages.
If you need to avoid BVO, check the ingredients in soda, fruit drinks, lemonade, and juices.
When used, BVO should be indexed as a label item as “brominated vegetable oil” or as an express oil that has been brominated, such as “brominated soybean oil”.
The FDA has been tracking the effects of BVO since the 1970s, after a report showed it can cause core disorders when taken in high doses, according to the agency’s news release. In the decades since, few reports have been published about its potential damages. .
There are anecdotal reports of people visiting the hospital and presenting with telltale symptoms of bromine poisoning: headaches, fatigue, memory loss, and trouble walking. In one case from 1997, doctors decided that a patient contracted the disease by drinking 2 to 4 liters. of soft drinks containing BVO depending on the day.
BVO can also damage the parts of the body that are used for eating and drinking, Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic, told Food Network. “BVO-related health comes from one of its ingredients, bromine. Bromine can aggravate the skin, nose and mouth,” he said.
In a 2022 report published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, the FDA found that BVO can build up in the thyroid of mice over time, becoming toxic. Although they conducted those tests on mice and humans, the company felt their findings were significant enough. Oppose the use of BVO in food.
In humans, the thyroid helps blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and metabolism. Thyroid damage can lead to weight fluctuations, abnormal heart rate, decreased energy, poor bone health, and more.
The final effects of the proposal may not be fully processed until 2024, CNN reported.