Teen Girl's Petition Forces Coke To Drop Controversial Ingredient From All Drinks

[-jose-]

every Coke can/bottle should come with Bacardi Gold already in it

the world would be such a better place

[BrotherDudeJack]

I love those Mexican Cokes they sell in the glass bottles. Made with real cane sugar.

Delicious.

They're usually in the ethnic isle at Wal-Mart.

[I Love Jesus!]

You just have to wonder and ask what are such an ingredients doing in those drinks in the first place? For the good of the people? Cheaper raw materials?


NEW YORK (AP) — Coca-Cola says it will drop a controversial ingredient from all its drinks that contain it, not just Powerade.

The Atlanta-based company says brominated vegetable oil is still being used in some flavors of Fanta and Fresca, as well as several citrus-flavored fountain drinks. The change will apply to its drinks globally, meaning Canada and Latin America are phasing out the ingredient as well.

A spokesman for Coca-Cola, Josh Gold, noted that the ingredient is not used in many countries.

Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, had been the target of petitions on Change.org by a Mississippi teenager, Sarah Kavanagh, who wanted it out of Gatorade and Powerade. The Food and Drug Administration says the ingredient is used as a stabilizer for flavoring oils in fruit-flavored drinks. But Kavanagh's petition noted that it has been patented as a flame ******ant and isn't approved for use in Japan or the European Union.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Coca-Cola is dropping BVO from Powerade, following a similar move by PepsiCo's Gatorade last year.

On Monday, Coca-Cola said in a statement that all its drinks are safe and comply with regulations in the countries where they're sold. It noted that BVO is used to improve the stability of its drinks and prevent certain ingredients from separating.

In coming months, however, the company said it would phase out BVO in the U.S. by the end of the year to be consistent with the ingredients it uses around the world. It said it would instead use sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which Coca-Cola said has been used in drinks for more than 14 years, and glycerol ester of rosin, which it said is commonly found in chewing gum and drinks.

Even as companies stand by the safety of their products, several have changed their recipes as people increasingly look to eat foods they believe are natural. The trend toward natural foods has prompted some to steer clear of ingredients or chemicals that sound unfamiliar, even if they're approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration and have been used by manufacturers for years.

The ingredient is still used in drinks including PepsiCo's Mountain Dew and Amp, as well as Dr Pepper Snapple Group's Sun Drop and Squirt.

Representatives for PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, did not respond to request for comment. A Dr Pepper spokesman said only that the company continually reviews its product formulations to ensure they meet customers' expectations.

Sarah Kavanagh, the 17-year-old Mississippi high school student who started the petitions asking for the removal of BVO from Powerade and Gatorade, said she was thrilled by the decision.

"Coca-Cola has gone above and beyond our expectations," she said. "It's really good to know that companies, especially big companies, are listening to consumers."



SOURCE

glad i dont drink any of that crap

[ShoulderRoll]

Or you can just not drink them?

I already don't drink them. Because I make an effort to know what is in the food I eat and try to stay away from the bad stuff.

But that doesn't let these companies off the hook. Shouldn't they do business in an ethical and responsible manner? Why does it take a petition for them to say "Hey, maybe we should stop putting that flame ******ant in our soft drinks?"

[ßringer]

I already don't drink them. Because I make an effort to know what is in the food I eat and try to stay away from the bad stuff.

But that doesn't let these companies off the hook. Shouldn't they do business in an ethical and responsible manner? Why does it take a petition for them to say "Hey, maybe we should stop putting that flame ******ant in our soft drinks?"

Because it's their product and they can put whatever they want in it?

[ShoulderRoll]

Because it's their product and they can put whatever they want in it?

So we shouldn't expect any business ethics from our companies, then? Anything goes as long as it's their product?

[MindBat]

Nah. That'd be too logical.

Let's just ban everything we don't like. It's far more rational.

More like ban the stuff that actually kills millions of people that no one goes to prison for.

The message being sent is if you're guilty of committing a heinous crime, you're going to prison.

If you've got massive wealth you get a slap on the wrist if you're lucky and are just asked to please remove the product from the shelves so they don't harm anyone else.

.

[MindBat]

glad i dont drink any of that crap

It's not easy to avoid stuff that may cause harm especially if we're raised on them since birth. But for many, ignorance is bliss and just ""green lights" the big corps to continue using humans as guinea pigs. Even when they know full well the harmful effects of their actions.

.

[SlySlickSmooth]

Wow so now coke isn't gonna give people diabetes right?

[MindBat]

Because it's their product and they can put whatever they want in it?

So it's OK to put whatever they want in their products knowing the harm it causes as long as the paying consumer is not aware of the harmful ingredients?

.