Coca-Cola To Drop Controversial Chemical From Its Drinks

Coca-Cola has said it will drop a controversial chemical ingredient from all of its drinks, including Fanta and Powerade.

According to the company, the ingredient, known as brominated vegetable oil or BVO, is still being used in some flavours of Fanta and Fresca, as well as some fountain drinks. The change in composition will take place across the globe.

Commenting on the development, Josh Gold, spokesperson for Coca-Cola, said that the chemical concerned is not used in many countries.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Coca-Cola is dropping BVO from Powerade, after PepsiCo had made a similar move in 2013.

On Monday, Coca-Cola said all its drinks are “safe and comply with regulations” in different countries around the world. It further added that the BVO is used to “improve the stability of its drinks and prevent certain ingredients from separating.” However, the company will drop the chemical in order to be consistent with the ingredients it uses around the world.

Coca-Cola said it would phase out the use of BVO in the US by the end of 2014.

The recent shift towards natural food has led some brands to avoid using controversial ingredients or chemicals.