Food & Drink / Products / Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Beverages

Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Beverages — food safety profile

Elevated risk

Brominated vegetable oil used as emulsifier in citrus-flavored sodas (Mountain Dew, Sun Drop, Squirt) to keep flavoring oils suspended.

What is this product?

Brominated vegetable oil used as emulsifier in citrus-flavored sodas (Mountain Dew, Sun Drop, Squirt) to keep flavoring oils suspended. Contains bromine — accumulates in body fat and breast milk. FDA revoked GRAS status (July 2024) after studies showed thyroid, heart, and liver damage. EU banned in 2008. Japan banned in 1969. Remained legal in US beverages for 50+ years after most countries prohibited it.

What's in it

Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.

Component Element

Who's most at risk

  • Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight

Red flags — when to walk away

  • Product legal in US but banned/restricted in EU — International safety consensus may differ from US regulation.

Green flags — what to look for

  • Product meets both US AND EU safety standards — Compliant with strictest global standards.

Safer alternatives

  • BVO-free citrus sodas — most major brands reformulated 2014-2020
  • Sparkling water with natural citrus — Alternative
  • Beverages using sucrose acetate isobutyrate — SAIB) or glycerol ester of rosin as alternative emulsifiers

Frequently asked questions

Who should be careful with Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Beverages?

Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.

Are there safer alternatives to Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Beverages?

Yes — consider: BVO-free citrus sodas; Sparkling water with natural citrus; Beverages using sucrose acetate isobutyrate. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.

Look up Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) in Beverages in the food app

Search by ingredient, browse by category, or compare to alternatives in the live app.

Open in food View raw API data

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →