Coca-Cola and PepsiCo announced plans to remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from all of their drinks due to petitions and consumer pressure. BVO is used to evenly distribute flavors but is also a flame retardant and banned in some countries. While food companies say BVO is safe, changing consumer preferences toward more "natural" ingredients has led companies to modify recipes and remove chemicals perceived as objectionable to maintain marketing advantages. PepsiCo had previously committed to removing BVO from Gatorade and is now removing it from additional products.