Coca-Cola, removed the ingredient "DANGEROUS" after protests by a 17 year old

The company's decision after the online petition launched by a young American girl against the additive BVO, which would cause damage to the nervous system and the skin. Even Pepsi says enough.

The drink Coca-Cola, Powerade (afp)

NEW YORK - The online petitions launched some time ago and have obtained their purpose. Coca-Cola has announced that it will remove all its drinks the ingredient BVO ( Brominated vegetable oil , in English), a food additive used as an emulsifier for various drinks company , such as Fanta and Powerade . Even Pepsi has announced that it will do the same with all his drinks , such as , inter alia, had already announced last year by removing the substance from the Gatorade .

The risks of BVO . The use of BVO , a substance derived from soy or corn that allow to dilute and mix the spices, which would otherwise remain on the surface , it is technically banned in the European Union and Japan as an additive . BVO is active against a long-standing campaign to ban its use . According to researchers from the Mayo Clinic, a prolonged consumption of drinks containing BVO could cause several health problems over the years , even serious ones , such as memory loss and problems with the nervous system and the skin.

Laws . In 1970, the United States has removed the BVO from the ingredients listed as "risk free" , but they still allow the use in soft drinks in an amount equal to a ratio of 15 million . The Coca -Cola Company, in its announcement , made ​​it clear that all the drinks of his group are "safe and that the quality of the products is the top priority " of the company , adding that in the coming months will comply with the rules in anyway force in Europe and other parts of the world . Coca- Cola has said it will replace BVO with other ingredients such as sucrose acetate isobutyrate and glycerol esters of resin.

The petition. The campaign against the BVO , which later became a worldwide via the website Change.org petition signed by thousands of people online , was launched by Sarah Kavanagh , a 17 year old girl from Mississippi ( United States). After the announcement of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Kavanagh said: " It's nice now that companies, especially multinationals , listen to consumers."