California has become the first state to ban brominated vegetable oil (BVO) and three other chemicals in foods, according to Food Safety News.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act. This is the first law in the US to ban four harmful chemicals. Therefore, the four prohibited products are BVO, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3. Furthermore, this prohibition applies to confectionery products, cereals, soft drinks and other processed foods. California sells and produces these foods. This was reported on October 7th.
Food Safety News reported that European regulators had already banned all four additives linked to human health problems, including hyperactivity, nervous system damage and increased cancer risk, with the exception of red dye No. 3 in candied cherries.
Jesse Gabriel, chairman of the state Assembly's Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, said food companies will be required to make small modifications to their recipes and switch to safer alternative ingredients that are already used in Europe and many other places in the world. world. This bill will not ban any food or product.
California requires soft drinks containing BVO to list the additive on labels
BVO is a vegetable oil with added bromine, used in small amounts to prevent the citrus aroma from floating to the top in some soft drinks.
The label must list BVO as an ingredient. This is according to a report from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can list BVO as “brominated vegetable oil” or the specific oil that has been brominated, such as “brominated soybean oil.”
Many soft drink manufacturers have reformulated their products in the US. They replaced BVO with alternatives. This has resulted in few beverages containing the additive, according to the June 14 FDA report.
Coca-Cola, for example, announced that it had stopped using BVO in its drinks in 2014, The Guardian reported at the time.
Two national non-governmental organizations, the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports, supported the California bill.
Source: Oils & Fats International
