Gatorade is one of the most recognizable
sport drinks for athletes. High schooler Sarah Kavanagh knows this -- she
sometimes chooses to drink Gatorade after soccer and volleyball games.
When she noticed "Brominated Vegetable Oil" (BVO) listed as an ingredient in her Gatorade, she looked it up -- and found out that it's considered a flame retardant and banned in countries like Japan and the European Union.
Sarah knows that Gatorade would never want their drinks to be seen as a health risk. When she read about other consumers starting petitions on Change.org that successfully got companies like Starbucks to remove unwanted ingredients, she decided to start a petition asking Gatorade to stop using BVO in their sport drinks. Sign her petition by clicking here.
Gatorade says they use BVO just to keep certain colors bright -- even though some research suggests it can cause impaired brain development, reduced fertility, and can stay in the body for a long time.
The government and the sports drink industry claim that it’s safe to use BVO below certain levels, but Sarah says she doesn't want dangerous flame retardants of any amount in her Gatorade.
BVO is not in every Gatorade drink -- just a few flavors. Sarah doesn't think it makes sense that they would keep such a controversial ingredient for just a couple of drinks, especially since they already have to take it out for sale in other countries.
Help Sarah send a clear message to Gatorade by signing her petition asking them to remove potentially hazardous flame retardants from their sport drinks. Click here to sign.
Thanks for being a change - maker,
Pulin and the Change.org team
When she noticed "Brominated Vegetable Oil" (BVO) listed as an ingredient in her Gatorade, she looked it up -- and found out that it's considered a flame retardant and banned in countries like Japan and the European Union.
Sarah knows that Gatorade would never want their drinks to be seen as a health risk. When she read about other consumers starting petitions on Change.org that successfully got companies like Starbucks to remove unwanted ingredients, she decided to start a petition asking Gatorade to stop using BVO in their sport drinks. Sign her petition by clicking here.
Gatorade says they use BVO just to keep certain colors bright -- even though some research suggests it can cause impaired brain development, reduced fertility, and can stay in the body for a long time.
The government and the sports drink industry claim that it’s safe to use BVO below certain levels, but Sarah says she doesn't want dangerous flame retardants of any amount in her Gatorade.
BVO is not in every Gatorade drink -- just a few flavors. Sarah doesn't think it makes sense that they would keep such a controversial ingredient for just a couple of drinks, especially since they already have to take it out for sale in other countries.
Help Sarah send a clear message to Gatorade by signing her petition asking them to remove potentially hazardous flame retardants from their sport drinks. Click here to sign.
Thanks for being a change - maker,
Pulin and the Change.org team
Petitioning Gatorade
This petition will be delivered to:
Gatorade
Debra Crew
President, PepsiCo Americas Beverages
Mehmood Khan
Executive Vice President, PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development
Gatorade: Don’t put flame retardant chemicals in sports drinks!
The other day, I Googled "brominated vegetable oil." It was the last time I drank Orange Gatorade. I found out that this "BVO" is a controversial flame retardant chemical that is in some Gatorade drinks! Who wants to drink that? Not me!
I’m naturally a curious and argumentative person doing things like debate team in school. I also love sports like volleyball, and I always believed Gatorade when they said stuff in their ads about how it's good to drink when exercising. And, just like most people, I care about my health. So, as I was sitting at home the other day drinking an Orange Gatorade, I decided to look up some of the ingredients.
The last ingredient is "brominated vegetable oil," which has been banned in Japan and the European Union. That means, #1 it’s not necessary to make Gatorade, and #2 there is enough information out there that entire countries have banned this chemical product.
According to Scientific American, BVO has been patented as a flame retardant and is found in some beverages including some flavors of Gatorade. It is “under intense scrutiny because research has shown that they are building up in people's bodies, including breast milk, around the world.” The same article also mentions that there are “links to impaired neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.”
I’m not a scientist, but if there are lots of suspicious things about putting a flame retardant chemical in Gatorade (most flavors don’t even use it!) then why would Gatorade want to put it in a product designed for people like me who are into sports and health?
It doesn’t make sense. Please sign my petition asking Gatorade to stop putting flame retardant chemicals in sports drinks.
Photo by marcgelinas on Flickr
I’m naturally a curious and argumentative person doing things like debate team in school. I also love sports like volleyball, and I always believed Gatorade when they said stuff in their ads about how it's good to drink when exercising. And, just like most people, I care about my health. So, as I was sitting at home the other day drinking an Orange Gatorade, I decided to look up some of the ingredients.
The last ingredient is "brominated vegetable oil," which has been banned in Japan and the European Union. That means, #1 it’s not necessary to make Gatorade, and #2 there is enough information out there that entire countries have banned this chemical product.
According to Scientific American, BVO has been patented as a flame retardant and is found in some beverages including some flavors of Gatorade. It is “under intense scrutiny because research has shown that they are building up in people's bodies, including breast milk, around the world.” The same article also mentions that there are “links to impaired neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.”
I’m not a scientist, but if there are lots of suspicious things about putting a flame retardant chemical in Gatorade (most flavors don’t even use it!) then why would Gatorade want to put it in a product designed for people like me who are into sports and health?
It doesn’t make sense. Please sign my petition asking Gatorade to stop putting flame retardant chemicals in sports drinks.
Photo by marcgelinas on Flickr
To:
Gatorade
President, PepsiCo Americas Beverages (Debra Crew)
Executive Vice President, PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development (Mehmood Khan)
Gatorade
President, PepsiCo Americas Beverages (Debra Crew)
Executive Vice President, PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development (Mehmood Khan)
Dear Gatorade,
You put slick ads on TV encouraging people like me to buy your products, but it’s shocking that you have a flame retardant chemical called ‘brominated vegetable oil’ in some flavors. Please stop deceiving consumers and remove this chemical from your products.
We know you can do better than this! We look forward to hearing an update.
You put slick ads on TV encouraging people like me to buy your products, but it’s shocking that you have a flame retardant chemical called ‘brominated vegetable oil’ in some flavors. Please stop deceiving consumers and remove this chemical from your products.
We know you can do better than this! We look forward to hearing an update.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your name]
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