NEW YORK — Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said Monday that they’re working to remove brominated vegetable oil from all of their drinks.
The ingredient was the target of petitions on Change.org by a Mississippi teen, Sarah Kavanagh, who wants it removed from PepsiCo’s Gatorade and Coca-Cola’s Powerade. She noted the ingredient has been patented as a flame retardant and isn’t approved for use in Japan and the European Union.
The companies say the ingredient, used to distribute flavors evenly, is safe. Several other major food makers have recently changed their recipes to remove chemicals or dyes people find objectionable.
Last year, PepsiCo said it would remove brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade. On Monday, it said it has since been working to remove it from the rest of its products. It didn’t provide a timeline. Earlier Monday, Coca-Cola said it’s removing the ingredient from all of its drinks.