Coca-Cola to remove BVO from drinks

Coca-Cola on 5 May 2014 announced that it will remove Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) from drinks by the end of 2014. BVO is an element that is found in Flame retardants.

The ingredient has been patented as a flame retardant and it is not approved for use in Japan and the European Union.

BVO will be replaced with sucrose acetate isobutyrate and glycerol ester of rosin. The particular ingredients are already being used in drinks and chewing gum.

Coca-Cola said that BVO is used to improve the stability of certain drinks by preventing other ingredients from separating. Though it isn't used in all sodas and sports drinks, it's reportedly been used in quite a few big ones, particularly those with citrus flavoring, including Mountain Dew, Fanta, and Powerade.

Few studies on BVO have found that bromine, the element it shares with flame retardants, can build up in the body. There have apparently also been some reports of memory loss as well as skin and nerve issues after drinking more than two liters of soda containing BVO in a single day. The chemical does, however, remain approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in extremely small amounts.

The ingredients came in the light after a Mississippi teenager filed a petitions on Change.org by claiming that the BVO consists of Flame retardants.