Big Government to Make Ingredient for Michigan’s Favorite Pop Illegal?

It's not often the FDA does something that specifically impacts everyone from Flint to Detroit to the Upper Peninsula to Grand Rapids.

This time, it's a health warning about a key ingredient in pop.

See Also: It's True, a Michigan City is Home to the Oldest Santa School in the World.

If you love pop, very specific brands, and flavors, would be affected by proposed action from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

What's the ingredient in pop to look out for in Michigan?

Brominated Vegetable Oil is the technical name of the ingredient that has been in use since the 1920s, according to Daily Mail UK.

The ingredient lost its "Generally Recognized as Safe" status in the US during the 1970s, but not banned. Refreshing to read, right?

Perhaps worse... the European Union ended the use of BVO in 2008.

What is BVO in pop?

According to the FDA:

BVO is a vegetable oil that is modified with bromine. It is authorized by the FDA for use in small amounts to keep the citrus flavoring from separating and floating to the top of some beverages. In 1970, the FDA determined BVO was no longer “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) and began overseeing its use under our food additive regulations. Over the years many beverage makers reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient, and today, few beverages in the U.S. contain BVO.

Which pops in Michigan still use BVO?

The major manufacturers of soda pop, like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc, phased out the use a few years ago in the US.

Ope! Unfortunately, our Michigan-made favorite still uses it in some flavors.

Moon Mist has it and some Ohana flavors include BVO, too.

Faygo isn't the only brand still using it, to be fair. Any citrus flavored pop could possibly have it.

It used to be in Gatorade, Fanta and Mountain Dew even a few years back.

Get our free mobile app

Fans of other citrusy brands like Sun Drop or Mountain Lighting (the latter found at Wal-Mart) should know they still use BVO, too.

The process of banning BVO is just beginning. So, there isn't a forced change, yet. It's likely to happen in the next year, though.