Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (Lakewood, CO) announced its support for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s recent revocation of the rule allowing for the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO). The company is dedicated to improving human health, the environment and the economy and has never carried BVO products in its stores.

Brominated vegetable oil is a vegetable oil that is modified with bromine and used as an emulsifier, the company noted. Starting In 1970, FDA began regulating BVO as a food additive due to health and toxicity concerns.

On Jul. 2, 2024, the agency concluded the intended use of BVO in food was no longer considered safe after the results of studied conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) founded “potentially adverse health effects in humans.”

Chemically modified fats, such as BVO, are often used by the food industry to increase the shelf life of products and to aid in the production of highly processed junk foods and commercial soft drinks, the company said.

“While all of us at Natural Grocers appreciate the fact that the FDA has revoked the use of brominated vegetable oil in food products, we knew it was a problematic ingredient from the start,” said Heather Isely, executive vice president of Natural Grocers. “Its only purpose was to impact the functionality of the food, not to benefit consumers by being an ingredient that was good for our health and well-being.”

For more information, visit https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-revokes-regulation-allowing-use-brominated-vegetable-oil-bvo-food.