PepsiCo, the owner of Gatorade, recently received some bad publicity after a teenager took on the giant corporation.

Sarah Kavanagh, only fifteen years old, acquired 200,000 signatures to petition the removal of the additive brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in Gatorade drinks such as orange and “citrus cooler.”

Kavanagh, a frequent Gatorade drinker herself, looked up BVO and noticed it was also used as a flame retardant and is banned in several countries like Japan. BVO was also found in Coca-Cola products, such as Fanta.  Its purpose is to preserve taste.  PepsiCo agreed to take out the BVO in place of a much safer and effective ingredient.

“I would feel more comfortable drinking Gatorade when they substitute the BVO ingredient. It just sounds healthier,” shared Emily Black, a Bob Jones student and another loyal Gatorade customer.

Sarah Kavanagh, just a teenager, was able to make a healthy change in a billion dollar company.