Walmart Shopper Issues Warning After She Noticed One Odd Thing On Her Great Value Soda Label

The world’s largest retailer, Walmart is a go-to store for millions of customers in the North American continent, and across 24 countries, per a Statista report. Its popularity stems from the retailer’s commitment to offering a wide range of cost-effective and valuable products, thus, gaining trust from global consumers. However, their faith in Walmart products was recently shaken after a TikTok user pointed out the presence of vegetable oil in the popular Mountain Fighting soda, available under the Great Value segment. TikTok creator Emily (@emilypowser17) sparked concerns with her viral video showcasing the ingredients in the soda purchased from Walmart.

With a text overlay asking, “Someone tell me why Walmart's soda got vegetable oil in it?”, she attempted to deviate the internet’s attention towards the strange ingredient that could potentially risk the health of consumers. The creator zoomed into one of the final ingredients mentioned, Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) among others, questioning its significance in the drink. It is generally found in citrus-flavored soda, syrups, baked goods, and energy drinks, per a report by Michigan State University. 

While she was surprised by the discovery, it is reported that BVO is a food additive commonly used to stabilize fruit flavorings in beverages, according to the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The ingredient is essentially vegetable oil that is modified with bromine and is used in minute amounts, 15 parts per million, under strict guidelines by authorities. However, the FDA revoked its approval of BVO in July 2024 and does not allow its usage in food products any longer due to safety concerns and adverse health effects in humans, as per a study conducted by the FDA and the National Institutes of Health.

As a result, brands and beverage companies have rehashed their drink recipes with an alternative ingredient phasing out BVO, the likes of modified cellulose, acacia gum, and sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB), per a report by Food Industry Executive. The alarming reason why BVO was banned includes its detrimental effects on the human body causing neurological and physical conditions. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, BVO leaves behind residues of bromine triglycerides in body fat in addition to the liver, brain, and heart. Bromine toxicity caused due to the accumulation of the halogenic chemical may lead to Central Nervous System damage, nausea, memory loss, and loss of coordination. 

Naturally, several netizens were left concerned by the TikToker’s video and took over the comments to share their insights. One person (@brighteyes1022) explained, "It's been in citrus sodas for years." @lilliannamom clarified, “The further down the list of ingredients, the less amount it has in it.” Another internet user (@john.anthony150) joked, “Gotta get vegetables in them somehow.” Other people discussed about how the FDA had banned BVO in 2024. Brands were apparently allowed a year to reformulate, relabel, and deplete the chemicals in their products, hence, its presence in the Mountain Lightning soda yet.  

The FDA reported that BVO first found its use in food products back in the 1920s. It was considered safe until the early 1960s as the government authorities placed the ingredient on the original GRAS list– Generally Recognized as Safe. A decade later, BVO was removed from the list citing toxicity concerns with further studies conducted on test animals revealed potential https://www.greenmatters.com/pn/medical-director-reveals-warning-signs-of-heart-attack-or-stroke-that-shows-up-on-your-finger-and-toe-nails​. 

You can follow @emilypowser17 on TikTok for more such interesting content.