Online petition prompts Coca Cola to remove “controversial” drinks ingredient
In response to an online petition Coca Cola has decided to remove a controversial ingredient from its drinks brands by the end of the year.
The ingredient in question – brominated vegetable oil (BVO) – is found in the FMCG giant’s fruit and sports drinks such as Fanta and Powerade.
Rival Pepsi had already removed the chemical from its Gatorade sports drink last year, and now an online petition has triggered the same reaction from Coca Cola.
Thousands of people have signed the petition on Change.org, set up by a teenager from Mississippi Sarah Kavanagh.
On her blog she wrote: "Thanks to the people who signed my petition on Change.org, I’m glad to know the Powerade sold at my school and consumed by people around the world will be a little bit healthier without BVO in it. I knew that if Gatorade could do the right thing, so could Powerade."
Pepsi still uses the chemical in is Mountain Dew drinks but is planning wider plans to stop its use of it in all its ranges.
BVO has been used as a stabiliser – to prevent ingredients from separating, but health concerns have arisen due to the fact it contains bromide, which is found in brominated flame retardants.