Most sodas aren’t good for you, but you ever wonder just how true the claims that Mountain Dew is evil for you are?
Well, I’ll help you out a little bit and give you a little bit more background information. So let’s start with the question at hand.
Is Mountain Dew Banned in Europe?
Mountain Dew is a lemon-lime soda with a food ingredient in the Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Food Forum recipe that is banned in many countries across Europe and Japan.
The soda versions manufactured by PepsiCo contain the food additive Brominated Vegetable Oil.
Such vegetable oils are also popular with the name “Brominated Flame Retardants.”
This soda is controversial due to the ingredient Bromine, which has been linked to varying health conditions.
However, you can find versions of this soda across Europe without this toxic chemical.
Keep reading to discover what Bromine can do to a person’s body.
Why is Mountain Dew Banned in Europe?
The BVO is banned in many states, and that is why people ask if that is mountain dew banned in other countries.
This additive is banned in over 100 countries.
BVO Contains Bromine
Brominated Flame Retardants like Vegetable Oil has the main ingredient called Bromine.
This ingredient has adverse effects on a person’s skin, loss of muscle coordination, and mucous membranes.
These membranes are the linings of your nose, mouth, lungs, and stomach. It can also have Birth Defects in newborns.
This is the reason why this ingredient got medical attention and is popular as a controversial ingredient.
This additive is banned in over 100 countries by the Food And Drug Administration.
So, BVO is crucial for keeping mountain Dew Banned in UK.
The common additive of BVO as a whole competes with iodine for receptor sites. It has been seen that high levels of the additive can lead to many harmful effects, such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and hypothyroidism.
Citrus-flavored soft drinks like Mt. Dew use oil-based flavorings that do not mix with water.
BVO helps these oils dissolve to keep them from separating from the water.
This is a naturally occurring element found in products used for sanitation, agriculture, and fire retardants. (BVO is not a flame retardant itself.)
It can also serve as an alternative to chlorine.
Overexposure to Bromine has also been found to cause neurological effects.
Symptoms of overexposure to Bromine include problems with your memory and balance and increased headaches.
In 2016 additional studies were done as a toxicity study of BVO.
It was found in not only Mt. Dew but also Fanta Orange, Sun Drop, and other drinks with a fruit flavor.
In 1970 BVO was banned due to a study on rats that showed cardiotoxicity, but it was eventually brought back into use.
The FDA has a revision dated April 2019 that states the additive can be used as allowed by the code of Federal Regulations.
Products with BVO
BVO is very often found in citrus and fruit-flavored beverages.
However, they were also found in sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and pre-mixed cocktails.
With this being said, numerous news stories and even an online petition have led PepsiCo and its rival Coca-Cola to stop using BVO in their products.
Though BVO has been removed from ingredient lists directly on the products, it can still be found as an ingredient on PepsiCo’s SmartLabel website.
However, it is not on every listing, and they have different entries for every variety and every size the varieties come in.
Addiction to Mountain Dew Illegal
Though people may call themselves Dew addicts, there is no proof that this soda is addictive.
You may prefer citrus-flavored soda drinks to other sodas of any flavor. However, you are probably dependent on the caffeine found in Mt. Dew.
Caffeine has been put through multiple clinical studies that prove caffeine is an addictive drug that people can become dependent on.
This led to WHO World Health Organization categorizing caffeine dependence as an actual disorder.
With this being said, the National Institute on Drug Abuse claims that the rise in Dopamine caused by caffeine is not enough to cause certain unbalances that lead to addiction.
Instead, caffeine is something you are dependent on rather than addicted to.
The difference here is that people with dependencies while feeling withdrawal symptoms, can still function without being destructive.
Why is Mountain Dew Banned in Other Countries?
There are several reasons behind the mountain dew ban. A few of the health hazards given below depict why it is banned in other countries.
Mt. Dew Mouth
On top of all the health risks of drinking Mt. Dew, as stated above, there are others.
The problem with drinking huge amounts of soda with American foods is that it leads to obesity, diabetes, and many harmful diseases.
However, there is one problem dentists have a unique name for rotting teeth.
Though soda, in general, is a big culprit for rotting teeth, the name started up in the Appalachia region of the U.S. Apparently, Mt. Dew is the number one selling soda for this region, hence “Mt. Dew Mouth.”
This is partially due to the area being mostly poverty-stricken and soda being cheaper than milk.
Soda and Teeth
Soda, in general, is very harsh on your teeth for several reasons.
Its high sugar content creates a breeding ground for bacteria in your mouth.
This bacteria creates acids that eat away at your enamel.
Your tooth’s enamel is the outer layer that protects your teeth. Once this barrier is broken, tiny holes begin to form. These holes are cavities.
Though too much sugar is bad for your teeth, so is the acid in soft drinks. Sodas contain various acids, such as citric, carbonic, and phosphoric.
These acids cause erosion in your tooth’s enamel and the dentin layer beneath.
Some Suggestions
One of the biggest things you can do that will impact not only the health of your teeth but your overall health is to drink water.
If you can’t seem to go without a soda, rinsing your mouth with water is better than nothing.
While dental hygiene is also essential in fighting “Mt. Dew Mouth,” your teeth are the most vulnerable after drinking soda, and you should wait a while to brush your teeth.
Versions of the MT Dew Green Soda
As Mountain Dew proudly claims on their website, “MTN DEW® doesn’t have to be green.”
If you are curious, there is a list ranking many favorite beverages of Dew flavors.
The Reds
The year 1988 saw the debut of Diet Mt. Dew and Mt. Dew Red. Red was introduced with the phrase “Fruit Flavored Mountain Dew.”
Unfortunately, this soda version was discontinued the same year it was released.
Released in 2001 was one of the soda’s most popular variants, Code Red.
The brand sells the soda with the idea of the same Mt. Dew taste “with a kick of cherry flavor.”
This version of Mt. Dew was, and still is, a prevalent flavor that helped create even more flavors for the brand. The release of Code Red raised Mt. Dew’s sales by 6%. Its popularity has held strong in the U.S. but not so much in other countries.
The soda was discontinued in Germany in 2016 and in Canada in 2019.
The Germany discontinuation was due to low sales, but little is known about the discontinuation in Canada.
There is also a Diet Code Red available.
More Flavors
Then you have Mt. Dew Ice, the brand’s attempt at a clear soda. It is supposed to offer a lemon-lime version of the original Mt. Dew Flavor.
Next, you have Voo-Dew, which is marketed as a mystery flavor. Good luck with this one if you feel a little on the wild side.
Though it was initially a seasonal release for the Halloween holiday, Pitch Black is now a permanent fixture.
It comes with a grape flavor and is more purple than black.
The iconic green soda also came out with White Out.
It is supposed to be a “smooth” citrus drink with just a few minor adjustments to the original Dew.
Next up are Voltage and Livewire. Voltage comes in very blue with a raspberry flavor and some ginseng.
Livewire is the original Dew flavor with a jolt of orange flavoring.
Last but certainly not least is Liberty Brew, which Mt. Dew releases in the summer and claims to come as 50 flavors combined into one.
Dews Energy
The brand has multiple soda flavors and is a popular name in the energy drink market.
Kickstart
The Brands first attempt at an energy drink is its Kickstart line. It was a success, as they now offer the drink in various flavors.
Kickstart’s claim to be different comes by containing real juice, caffeine, and the Dew flavor.
Available fruit-flavored drinks include Original Dew, Orange Sodas, and Black Cherry. Midnight Grape, Fruit Punch, Mango Lime, Pineapple Orange Mango, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Raspberry Citrus.
Mt. Dew Amp
Their newest energy drink release is the Amp. This is available in the original Dew flavor, Tropical Punch, Strawberry Limeade, and Cherry Blast.
Conclusion
To answer the question, as of right now, Mt. Dew isn’t banned in European countries by their Food And Drug Administration.
However, a food additive found in the drink is.
This ingredient is BVO, and it is banned in over 100 countries.
BVO contains Bromine which, even though naturally occurring, is a little controversial to use in food and drinks.
The FDA has okayed the use of BVO but highly regulates its uses.
The best choice is to drink bottled water or another popular soda that doesn’t contain BVO.
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