The FDA will no longer allow the use of brominated vegetable oil in food products

The US Food and Drug Administration will no longer allow the use of brominated vegetable oil in food products, the agency said Tuesday.

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil modified with the chemical bromine and has been used in small amounts to keep citrus flavoring from floating to the top in beverages, according to an FDA statement.

Dozens of products — mostly sodas — use BVO as an ingredient, according to the Eat Well Guide by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research and advocacy group that focuses on consumer health, toxic chemicals and pollutants.

The rule that no longer allows BVO in food will go into effect August 2, but companies will have one year after that date to reformulate and relabel their products as well as deplete their BVO inventory, according to the FDA statement.

The food additive was removed from the FDA’s list of Generally Recognized As Safe or “GRAS” substance list in 1970 and has been regulated since then, the agency said.

Because of the past restrictions, there are only a small number of products that still contain BVO, the FDA said.