Brominated vegetable oil
This page explains what Brominated vegetable oil is, where it shows up in restaurant food, and which ingredient reports connect to it.
- Concern
- High Concern
- Function
- Oil
What this is
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is a food additive made by bonding bromine to vegetable oil. It was used in some fruit-flavored sodas and sports drinks to keep citrus flavor oils evenly mixed, preventing them from separating. Health concerns have long been associated with BVO. Because it contains bromine, it can accumulate in the body’s fat and may cause issues over time. High intake of BVO has been linked to problems like neurological symptoms (headaches, memory loss) and potential interference with thyroid hormones. Many countries banned BVO years ago, and as of 2024 the U.S. FDA has also banned its use in foods due to these safety concerns.
Critical Endpoints
The key endpoints experts review in safety assessments (critical endpoints). This is not a prediction of harm.
Restaurant Usage
0 linked ingredient reports
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State Actions
0 current actions
No current state action is listed for this ingredient in the policy tracker.
Sources
0 visible sources
Source population is still pending for this dossier. The page stays visible because the restaurant and policy context is still useful.