red 40
Red 40 is a synthetic dye that makes pet food look meatier to shoppers. It adds nothing nutritionally. How Bowlmark scores artificial colors.
Also appears on labels as: red no. 40 · fd&c red no. 40 · fd&c red 40 · allura red · allura red ac · e129
What it is
Red 40 — Allura Red, or FD&C Red No. 40 — is the most widely used synthetic red dye. Like every color additive in pet food, it exists to change appearance, not nutrition.
Why it's in pet food
Red dye makes extruded kibble read as "beefy" on the shelf and gives multi-color pieces their contrast. The audience is the shopper; the pet is indifferent.
How Bowlmark scores it
Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.
The additive pillar deducts 12 points per distinct artificial dye on the label — Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2 — capped at 36 points, each shown as a warning flag.
Common questions
Answers come from this entry and the scoring rules above — reviewed before publish, like everything else on this page. For anything about your own pet, your vet knows best.
Is Red 40 bad for dogs?
Red 40 — Allura Red — adds nothing nutritionally: like every color additive in pet food, it exists to change appearance, not nutrition. The audience is the shopper; the pet is indifferent. Bowlmark deducts for artificial dyes on the additive pillar wherever they appear on a label.
Why is Red 40 in pet food at all?
Shelf appeal: red dye makes extruded kibble read as "beefy" and gives multi-color pieces their contrast. The job is entirely shopper-facing — there is no nutritional role.
How does Bowlmark score artificial dyes like Red 40?
The additive pillar deducts 12 points per distinct artificial dye on the label — Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2 — capped at 36 points, each shown as a warning flag.
Foods that list red 40
Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.
- Purina Cat Chow Indoor Hairball + Healthy Weight65
- Tabby Republic Crunchy Dinners Chicken Flavor65
- Fancy Feast With Savory Chicken & Turkey61
- Purina Cat Chow Complete61
- Purina Cat Chow Complete with Salmon61
- Friskies Indoor Delights Dry Cat Food With Flavors of Chicken, Salmon, Peas & Carrots60
- Meow Mix Original Choice59
- Old Quarry Hearty Beef Flavor Dinner59
Compare foods that list red 40
Same species, same form, both scored — closest scores first, so the comparison is a real one.
- Fancy Feast With Savory Chicken & Turkey vs Purina Cat Chow Complete
- Fancy Feast With Savory Chicken & Turkey vs Purina Cat Chow Complete with Salmon
- Purina Cat Chow Complete vs Purina Cat Chow Complete with Salmon
- Fancy Feast With Savory Chicken & Turkey vs Friskies Indoor Delights Dry Cat Food With Flavors of Chicken, Salmon, Peas & Carrots
Sources
Related ingredients
Further reading
Cite this page
Bowlmark. "Red 40 in pet food — what it is and how it scores." https://www.bowlmark.com/ingredient/red-40
- Engine
- Methodology engine v1.1.0 · config 13c99e2f
- Verified
- Last verified August 21, 2026
No stored score to stamp yet — the engine and config above are the ones a scan runs today.