Is the FDA looking to ban some of San Antonio’s favorite foods?

Fans of Big Red, Hot Cheetos and Takis are up in arms after the Food and Drug Administration signaled that it could ban a certain red food dye — a move some worry could put San Antonio’s favorite snacks at risk.

“San Antonio men/women are about to make Jan. 6 look like a walk in the park if they ban Hot Cheetos,” San Antonio bar owner Aaron Peña jokingly wrote in a Tuesday social media post.

However, that’s not quite what FDA officials are proposing.

During a U.S. Senate hearing last week, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones said the agency should reevaluate the use of the food color Red Dye 3, which medical studies have linked to cancer.

“With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we’re hopeful that in the next few weeks, we’ll be acting on that petition,” Jones said during the hearing.

Already banned in most of Europe, Red 3 is used in an array of American food products, including jelly beans, colored beverages and even some fruit cocktails, according to Houston Methodist Hospital.

But let’s not panic, San Antonio.

The dye isn’t used in local favorites including Big Red, Hot Cheetos and Takis. Instead, all three of those rely on Allura Red AC, also known as Red Dye 40, for their distinctive hues.

In other words, the Alamo City’s beloved snacks are safe — for now anyway. We added the caveat, though, because Red 40 could eventually end up in federal regulators’ crosshairs.

A study published by the National Library of Medicine last year suggested there could be a link between Red 40 and cancer, citing the substance’s link to colon inflammation in mice. Another study published in 2012 conclusively linked the food color to increased ADHD symptoms.

Those studies prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a law in September banning Red Dye 40 and five other food coloring additives. Red 40 is also prohibited in the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.