A recent announcement by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo that these companies are pulling the ingredient brominated vegetable oil (BVO) out of their soft drinks is no big surprise. It’s yet another example of how junk science and media hype forces needless product reformulations. While such actions don’t make us safer or healthier, they promise to make us poorer. This case started with a 2013 petition on Change.org, pushed by a well-intentioned teenager who was appalled to learn that some sports drinks, particularly Gatorade, contained a “flame retardant” chemical, i.e., BVO. Read more.