Two days ago, we all went to the grocery store and Connor asked if he could get some Mountain Dew White Out, basically because the can is blue (his favorite color). Obviously I knew that getting him Mtn. Dew White Out would not be a nutritious drink; however, I was glad he didn't pick out a drink that contained Red #40, so I said yes and didn't read the ingredients. When I got home I opened one for him and glanced at the ingredients. The very last ingredient listed was brominated vegetable oil. I had never heard of putting brominated vegetable oil in pop nor did I know what it was, so I asked my chemist husband what "brominated" meant. He said probably something referring to bromine. I remember bromine from my undergrad organic chemistry class and I remember only being able to work with it under a vented hood because the fumes/gases it puts off are toxic. So, I went online to look up brominated vegetable oil. Basicially brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil with bromine atoms attached and it is used in citrus drinks to help keep fat-soluble citrus flavors suspended in the drink. It makes the drink have a cloudy appearance and it is not often listed as an ingredient. There are numerous health concerns associated with it and it is banned in over 100 countries, including India. Now I don't know much about India, but I do know enough to know that food quality is not high on the list of important goals in India. So I ask, if BVO is banned in over 100 countries, why is it not banned in the United States? Even the FDA has recognized that it is dangerous and it is currently listed as an interim food additive. Another interim food additive is saccharin, which is known to cause cancer, but is also not banned. Basically, I am just frustrated that I am continuing to find that really bad ingredients/additives are being allowed in our food when other countries are banning them. I also really hate when I see an additive negatively affect my son, who is sensitive to artificial dyes. One another note, does anyone want an 11 pack of Mtn. Dew White Out?
