Coca-Cola has removed brominated vegetable oil from its Powerade drinks.
Sarah Kavanaugh, a teenager from Mississippi, began a petition on Change.org to have the substance taken out of the beverages. She reportedly grew concerned after finding out the ingredient was associated with a flame retardant product.
The removal comes one year after Pepsi Co. banned brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade's ingredients list.
According to the Associated Press, the additive was taken out of fruit punch and strawberry lemonade flavored varities sold in Detroit, Omaha, New York and Washington, D.C.
Kavanaugh said she is glad to know the vegetable oil won't harm consumers anymore.
"Thanks to the people who signed my petition on Change.org, I'm glad to know the Powerade sold at my school and consumed by people around the world will be a little bit healthier without BVO in it," Kavanaugh said in an online post. "I knew that if Gatorade could do the right thing, so could Powerade."
Over 59,000 people signed the Coca-Cola petition online. Kavanaugh also initiated the request for Gatorade, which garnered over 200,000 signatures.
The senior campaign manager at Change.org told Fox News support has increased for concerns about food ingredients.
"Consumers are coming together quickly and efficiently to influence the world's biggest beverage companies in an unprecedented manner," Pulin Modi said.
Dangerous ingredients have also been removed from food products.
Subway took the chemical azodicarbonamide - a material used to make yoga mats - out of its sandwich bread earlier this year. FoodBabe blogger Vani Hari started the petition because she was concerned that it didn't follow Subway's projected health-conscious reputation.
Subway's chief marketing officer told AP consumers are excited to see the change.
"You see the social media traffic, and people are happy that we're taking it out, but they want to know when we're taking it out," Tony Pace said. "If there are people who have that hesitation, that hesitation is going to be removed. We're always trying to improve stuff."
