Reminder: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended its regulations to revoke the authorization for the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food (which includes alcohol beverages). If you have an existing approved formula that has changed or will change to remove BVO, you must apply for a new TTB formula approval prior to the August 2, 2025 compliance date.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) notes that many beverage makers have reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient. So, this post is probably pointless, but we’re publishing this reminder as a PSA just in case you’re out of the BVO loop.
What is BVO?
BVO is a vegetable oil modified with bromine. When used in small amounts, it was used as a stabilizer for fruit flavoring in beverages to keep the citrus flavoring from floating to the top.
The FDA issued a final rule to revoke the authorization for the use of BVO in food. This action was taken because there is no longer a reasonable certainty of no harm from the continued use of BVO in food. Specifically, the final rule revokes the authorization for the use of BVO as a food ingredient intended to stabilize flavoring oils in fruit-flavored beverages. There are no authorizations for other uses of BVO in food.
The rule took effect on August 2, 2024. The compliance date for this rule is August 2, 2025 (one year after the effective date of the final rule), to provide the opportunity for companies to reformulate, relabel, and deplete the inventory of BVO-containing products before the FDA begins enforcing the final rule.
For more on BVO and timeline of it study over time, head here.
