About

Red 40, also known as Allura Red AC or Red 40 Food Dye refers to an artificial food coloring that is often used in processed foods and beverages in the USA. The dye has come under criticism in the 2010s after it was banned in the UK and Switzerland due to health concerns. Ironic memes about Red 40 Maxxing began to spread on iFunny in 2022. Memes often conflate Red 40 dye with Cochineal, a bright red dye made from the cochineal insect. Memes condemning red food dye are often related to memes criticizing the widespread use of Seed Oils

Origin

The earliest known discussions about the dangers of Red 40 food dye, also known as Allura Red AC, go as far back as 2014, with internet users citing various studies that linked the use of red food dye to carcinogens, ADHD, and allergic reactions.^[1][2][3]

The earliest known meme about Red 40 Food colorant was posted to iFunny^[4] by user gayfellaz on December 29th, 2021, where it gathered over 12,000 smiles and 400 comments in over a year (seen below).

Spread

On 20th March 2022, iFunny^[5] user arf1049 uploaded a meme about Red 40 dye maxxing, gathering over 43 smiles in nearly a year (seen below, left). On 22nd May 2022, iFunny^[6] user Whats_ain_about_lain posted another meme about Red 40 maxxing, gathering 4 smiles in over a year (seen below, right).

On 22nd July 2022, iFunny user DeadassDom posted a meme about Red 40 and High Fructose Corn Syrup, gathering over 2,000 smiles in over a year (seen below, left). On 28th July 2022, iFunny user Ecclesiarch posted a meme featuring The Rock eating a tub of Red 40 dye, gathering 16 smiles in over a year (seen below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References