The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is notifying the public that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked the regulation authorizing the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food.
Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, is vegetable oil modified with bromine. It’s used to suspend citrus flavourings into sodas and juice drinks, where it prevents the flavouring from separating during shipping and storage.
The FDA has concluded that BVO was not safe for use in food following the results of studies it conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), BVO was found to have the potential for adverse effects in humans.
BVO have been shown to pose toxic risks to the thyroid and causes other chronic health problems. It leaves residues of bromine triglycerides in body fat and fat in the liver, heart, and brain. Excessive bromine accumulation in the body results in bromine toxicity, which causes damage to the central nervous system, headaches, nausea, memory loss, and loss of coordination.
The rule of the ban was effective from August 2, 2024. The compliance date for this rule is one year after the effective date, 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.
It is important to note that Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is not used in Nigeria or many other countries due to its potential health risks.
NAFDAC implores importers, distributors, retailers and consumers of sodas and juice drinks to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale and consumption of the BVO containing products. Members of the public in possession of such product should discontinue sale or use and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.
Consumers are advised to report any suspicion of the sale of banned, substandard and falsified products to the nearest NAFDAC office, call NAFDAC on 0800-162-3322 or via email: sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng
Healthcare professionals and consumers are encouraged to report adverse events experienced with the use of toxic food additives to the nearest NAFDAC office, via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng, E-reporting platforms available at www.nafdac.gov.ng or via the Med- safety application for download on android and IOS stores.
NAFDAC……..Customer-focused, Agency-minded!!!
