Know Your Rights Camp Point #2 “You Have The Right To Be Healthy”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a ban on brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food products, effective August 2, 2024. BVO, modified with the chemical bromine, is used to keep flavoring from floating to the top of citrus drinks. The FDA has declared it unsafe for consumption, giving manufacturers one year to reformulate, relabel, and deplete their inventories of BVO-containing products before enforcement begins.
Consumers are advised to check product ingredients to avoid BVO, as older stock may still be available, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which called the ban long overdue. BVO is used in about 70 sodas and beverages, most of them vibrantly colored and citrus-flavored, as noted by Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The FDA's ban follows an eight-month review period, during which studies showed that BVO could have adverse health effects on humans. The FDA had already determined in 1970 that BVO was not generally recognized as safe, leading many beverage makers to find alternatives over the years. Consequently, few beverages in the U.S. today still contain BVO.
Keurig Dr Pepper, for instance, announced last November that it was reformulating its Sun Drop soda to eliminate BVO. Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, praised the FDA's decision, highlighting BVO's toxic risks to the thyroid and other chronic health issues. He emphasized the importance of removing such additives from food products.
BVO has already been banned in most European countries and was one of four food additives banned by California in October.
Ensuring that all food and beverage products are safe for consumption is a crucial step towards health equity and the well-being of all communities.
Link: CBSNews
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