Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) has been banned from food and drinks in the United States since 2 August 2024, when a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule took effect. Companies had until 2 August 2025 to remove it from their products.

Key facts

• Status: banned in all US food and beverages
• Rule effective: 2 August 2024
• Compliance deadline: 2 August 2025
• Banned earlier in: the UK (1997) and the EU (2008)

What is BVO and why was it in soda?

BVO is vegetable oil that has been chemically modified with bromine. Drink makers used it as an emulsifier in citrus-flavoured sodas and juice drinks, where it stops the flavouring from separating and floating to the top during shipping and storage.

Why did the US ban BVO?

The FDA took BVO off its list of ingredients “generally recognised as safe” back in 1970, but it did not ban it. Instead, it allowed limited use for decades while studies continued. After newer research linked BVO to potential health effects, the FDA proposed revoking its approval in late 2023 and made the ban final in July 2024.

California added pressure. In October 2023 the state passed the California Food Safety Act, which bans BVO and three other additives from 1 January 2027. Because the FDA’s 2025 deadline came first, the federal rule now applies nationwide.

Why did Europe ban it so much earlier?

The UK banned BVO in 1997 and the European Union in 2008. Many large drink companies had already reformulated their products to remove BVO after the EU ban, so the US rule mainly affected a smaller number of remaining products.

BVO is one of several cases where the US moved more slowly than Europe; another additive in the same California law, Red Dye No. 3, is also being phased out. The reverse also happens: for a product that is legal in Europe despite rumours, see why canola oil is not banned in Europe. Browse all US food rules on the USA bans page.

General information, not medical advice.