In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a plan to phase out eight previously allowed petroleum-based synthetic dyes<\/a>\u00a0from the nation\u2019s food supply.<\/p>\n Keurig Dr Pepper<\/a>, which manufactures Big Red, has not said whether it will replace red dye No. 40 with an alternative. And the company has not responded to multiple calls, emails and messages from the San Antonio Report.<\/p>\n But the Frisco, Texas-based company has said it will alter at least one beverage that contains an artificial dye, telling Newsweek<\/a>, \u201cWe are actively reformulating YooHoo Strawberry Drink \u2014 the only product in our portfolio with Red Dye No. 3. The new formula will be on shelves before the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n The announcement corresponds with a federal campaign<\/a> asking food and beverage companies to remove artificial dyes from their products \u2014 without mandating that they make changes yet.<\/p>\n If Keurig Dr Pepper reformulates Big Red, it\u2019s unclear how different the soda might look or taste.<\/p>\n Also uncertain is the impact on consumers in Big Red country. As Texas Highways proclaimed in February<\/a>, \u201cBig Red is Texas Barbecue\u2019s Unofficial Signature Soda.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced in April a plan to eliminate petroleum-based dyes, local concern has emerged about the impact on Big Red.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio staple Tommy\u2019s Restaurant<\/a> promotes \u201cBig Red and Barbacoa Everyday!\u201d Owner Brandon Ramos says his \u201cGuac My World\u201d combo, a barbacoa and guacamole taco with Big Red, is a bestseller. But he fears that removing red dye No. 40 might affect sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m worried it will change the flavor profile or the visual look of Big Red,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping for the best. Big Red is important. It\u2019s woven into the culture of San Antonio.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At least one San Antonian posted a tongue-in-cheek warning on Instagram<\/a> about the brewing controversy: \u201cIf you come for BIG RED. The 210 will RIOT. And I will lead the charge. Is it bad \u2026 am I allergic to the red dye .. yes \u2026 but let me live a little. (laughing emoji).\u201d<\/p>\n Red dye No. 40 ban?<\/p>\n The federal directive to phase out artificial dyes has divided the food and beverage industry. General Mills, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and other companies have agreed to comply.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mars<\/a>, the maker of <\/strong>M&Ms and Skittles candies, has resisted<\/a>, saying its products are safe and changes would be costly. The American Beverage Association<\/a> is also pushing back, arguing on its website<\/a> that, \u201cBanning ingredients like colors that are proven safe and approved worldwide will only create more challenges.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The National Confectioners Association<\/a> said the FDA has deemed their ingredients and products safe and asserted that candy should be treated differently <\/a>than food.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not everyone is worried about possible changes to Big Red or the new Texas state law<\/a> that requires warning labels on foods containing any of 44 ingredients, including red dye No. 40.<\/p>\n Robert Morris, founder of the annual Barbacoa & Big Red Festival<\/a>, held in October at the Freeman Coliseum, believes San Antonians will adjust to whatever changes are made to Big Red.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it would affect us much as long as they continue carrying the product and it tastes the same,\u201d Morris said. \u201cI understand that the red dye is a big factor in the change. But maybe Big Red will have an alternate plan. San Antonio loves to come out to our festival and have a good time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLook at Fiesta. Look at the rodeo. People will still come out and celebrate the barbacoa. That\u2019s a part of our heritage. It\u2019s part of our fabric in San Antonio. Big Red is the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n What is Big Red?<\/p>\n Conceived in a Waco lab in 1937<\/a>, Big Red was originally called Sun Tang Red Cream Soda. It was renamed in the late 1950s after the president of the soft drink\u2019s bottling company in San Antonio heard a golf caddy refer to the soda as \u201cbig red.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Under the new name, Big Red became a big seller across Texas and parts of the South. Locally, the soft drink gained enormous popularity when it was advertised on Swing Time<\/a>, a 1960s TV dance show.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, the sweet soda that tastes like \u201cliquid bubble gum<\/a>\u201d found its way into taquerias and became one half of a local breakfast staple: Big Red and barbacoa.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very popular,\u201d said Ramos, who has a small fridge packed with four shelves of the ruby-red drink near his cash register. \u201cPeople just buy Big Red all the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Culinary creatives across Texas infuse Big Red into their food and beverages. In Austin, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue<\/a> combines the soft drink syrup with tempranillo, Seville orange fortified wine and citrus juices to create a frozen Big Red sangria.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Seguin, Burnt Bean Company<\/a> soaks cake in soda to produce a unique offering: Big Red tres leches. <\/p>\n In San Antonio, James Beard-nominated chef Leo Davila<\/a> infuses heirloom nixtamalized masa with Big Red to make the pink tortilla that holds his Big Red & Barbacoa taco at Anacacho Coffee & Cantina<\/a>.<\/p>\n Big Red shows up in tacos, desserts and frozen drinks everywhere in Texas. But it <\/strong>mostly shows up in bottles: cold, sweet and deliciously red. The bottle lists Red 40 as an ingredient, but does not disclose the amount.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio prepares for change<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7359.jpg\")
Brandon Ramos, owner of Tommy\u2019s Restaurant, with the Guac My World breakfast: barbacoa tacos and Big Red. Credit: Ken Rodriguez\/San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1000002379.jpg\")
T-shirts and mugs sold at Tommy\u2019s Restaurant advertise the \u201cBig Red and Barbacoa\u201d special. Credit: Courtesy\/Brandon Ramos<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BR12.jpg\")
Since its invention in 1937, Big Red has become a popular beverage across Texas and parts of the South. Credit: Diego Medel\/San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Brenda-Bazan-chef-leo-davila-stix-and-stone-james-beard-semifinalist-scaled-1.jpg\")
Chef Leo Davila torches corn for a plate of Mexican-style street corn. The chef is currently experimenting with new recipes at Anacacho Coffee & Cantina for his Big Red & Barbacoa taco. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n