WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it is banning the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food as it was found in studies that its use is no longer safe.
FDA said that it is revoking the regulation authorizing the use of BVO in food.
The ban will come effective on August 2.
The agency said the use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the potential for adverse health effects in humans.
The removal of the only authorized use of BVO from the food supply was based on a thorough review of current science and research findings that raised safety concerns,' said Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods. 'We will continue to monitor emerging evidence on the chemicals we have targeted for reassessment, and in cases such as this, where the science no longer supports continued authorized use, we will take action to protect public health,' he added.
BVO is a vegetable oil that is modified with bromine. As authorized, it was used in small amounts as a stabilizer for fruit flavoring in beverages to keep the citrus flavoring from floating to the top. When used, BVO was required to be listed as an ingredient on the label as 'brominated vegetable oil' or as the specific oil that has been brominated, such as 'brominated soybean oil'.
Over time, many beverage makers have reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient. Today, few beverages in the U.S. contain BVO, according to FDA.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
