Late last month, a wave of viral social media posts — racking up thousands of likes and shares — claimed that Mountain Dew, the popular soft drink, had been "just banned" in Texas. The posts went on to further allege that the soda is also banned in more than 160 countries, sparking confusion and debate online.
The post soon went viral and left several people confused about whether Mountain Dew was really banned suddenly in Texas. Many fans of Mountain Dew even went out of their homes to check if the soft drink was still available in the stores. However, there is no truth in the claim, as it is completely false.
Origin of Weird Claim
The claim appeared on several social media platforms. One of the most widely shared claims came from a Facebook post that racked up more than 7,000 likes, while several other posts on the platform also drew hundreds of reactions.
On X, a similar post spread fast, garnering more than 30,000 views. The buzz prompted several curious users to find out the truth behind the claim.
However, the viral claim that Texas banned Mountain Dew is completely false. The soda has not been banned in the state.
While it's true that the U.S. formulation of Mountain Dew was once banned in many countries due to a specific ingredient, the company reformulated its recipe more than a decade ago, making it eligible to be sold abroad in different versions.
The confusion online likely stemmed from Texas Senate Bill 25 (SB25), passed on June 22, 2025, and set to take effect on Sept. 1, 2025. However, that law has nothing to do with banning Mountain Dew or restricting its sale.
The Reason Behind the Claim
Texas Senate Bill 25 (SB25), passed in June 2025, primarily addressed nutrition standards but also introduced new rules on food labeling. Under the law, any product sold in Texas that contains one of 44 flagged ingredients must carry a warning label if that ingredient is "not recommended for human consumption" by regulators in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.
When the bill passed, PepsiCo's website showed that the standard flavor of Mountain Dew still contained Yellow 5, a synthetic dye also known as tartrazine, which appears on Texas' list. However, this doesn't mean Mountain Dew is banned.
Instead, PepsiCo would need to add a label informing consumers that Yellow 5 is an ingredient flagged by international health authorities.
Mountain Dew's formulation could change in the future. In April 2025, the FDA under the Trump administration announced plans to phase out six synthetic dyes, including Yellow 5, by working with food companies.
Currently, products containing Yellow 5 in the EU and UK must include a warning that it may affect attention and behavior, though the dye isn't banned outright. Australia and Canada, meanwhile, continue to allow its use.
