How Social Listening Reveals Unlikely Allies in the Red Dye Ban Movement

One of social listening’s best attributes is its ability to understand niche audiences, especially when these audiences initially appear opposed.

We used Infegy Starscape to dive into the conversation surrounding red dye bans (which have been increasingly in the news lately due to Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement). We found not only surging post volume growth associated with the bans over the last three years, but also that the reason for much of that growth was due to audiences and personas that don’t typically interact with each other.

Let’s dive in as we explain our findings so you can replicate this research pattern as well.

Growing Post Volume Associated With Red Dye Bans

As is typical, if you’re a regular reader of our blog, we begin our analysis by examining post volume, which enables us to validate a trend’s strength and growth. Trends that grow or decline rapidly often make for interesting stories.

Figure 1 illustrates the post volume over the last three years in relation to red dye conversion. You’ll note the hump in October 2023, marked by the trend event icon - that’s the bump in post volume related to California’s initial ban. Then you’ll see the post volume continue to increase until January 2025, with a massive spike in conversation. That spike pertains to the period when Robert F. Kennedy and the Trump Administration brought red dye bans into a larger, national conversation. You’ll also note (and this is typical of trend-spawning events) that after the post volume spike, we see elevated post volume in 2025. Often, this type of trend occurs after an event or conversation becomes mainstream and people begin to talk about it.

Figure 1: Post Volume Associated With Red Dye Bans (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

California - A First Mover With Red Dye Regulation (And A Very Progressive Place)

As promised, let's dive into the conversation about California. You'll note that this story is initially tied to Gavin Newsom, California's very progressive governor. You'll also note the sizable post volume (18k records) along with the very low positivity (33%). You'll note that our narrative also highlights how other states, such as Arizona, are now considering similar laws, which means California's ban might have inspired more conservative states, like Arizona, to take a closer look at the chemicals allowed in our food.


Figure 2: California Narrative Associated With Red Dye Ban (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

We want to highlight here the progressive nature of this narrative (e.g., Gavin Newsom and California), as well as the hints at a bipartisan consensus (and a more national consensus). Let's next look at how social data tells that story.

Diverse Source Bio Word Clouds Associated With Red Dye Bans

We love source bios because they’re an immediate way to get a high level overview of how an audience (a group of people talking about a particular topic) describe themselves. Typically, when we look at source bio word clouds, we see monolithic topics (e.g. topics that typically belong to one audience or another (think soccer moms or educators)). In Figure 3, however, we pick up two distinctly different audiences - a super conservative MAGA persona, along with a much more traditionally progressive audience (“pronouns,” “Palestine,” “lesbian”).

Next, let’s dive into our AI Personas tool to better understand those folks.


Figure 3: Source Bios Associated With Red Dye Ban Conversation (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

Diving Into Red Dye Audiences

Finally, we ran our audience through Infegy’s AI Personas. With AI Personas, we can analyze millions of underlying accounts and identify high-level audiences. Confirming our findings, we identified two distinct personas, as indicated by the source bio in Figure 3.

Conservative Audience: The MAGA Patriots

One of the most surprising findings in the red dye ban conversation is the strong presence of conservative MAGA supporters, who make up a significant portion of the discussion with 5,000 records. These users represent a staunchly conservative, right-wing audience that is deeply rooted in Christian faith and American nationalism. Their identity revolves heavily around the "Make America Great Again" movement and unwavering support for Donald Trump.


Figure 4: MAGA Patriots Leading Red Dye Ban Conversation (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

What makes this audience particularly interesting is how they approach the red dye issue through their unique worldview. They see these food additives as part of a larger conspiracy by the government or big corporations to harm American families. Figure 5 shows their bios are packed with political markers, such as "MAGA," "Patriot," "Conservative," and American flag emojis. Their bios often include religious references like "Christian," "God," and "Jesus."

Figure 5: MAGA Patriots Source Bios (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

This audience is highly engaged, forming tight-knit communities online to share information and reinforce each other's beliefs. They often connect the red dye issue to their larger mission to "Save America" and fight against what they see as threats to their way of life. Their participation in this health-focused conversation demonstrates how food safety concerns can transcend traditional political lines, even when the reasoning behind those concerns may differ significantly.

Wellness and Nutrition Advocates

The second audience driving the red dye conversation brings an entirely different approach to the same issue. The Wellness and Nutrition Advocates comprise approximately 2,000 records and bring a health-focused, solution-oriented perspective that contrasts sharply with the more politically-driven MAGA audience.

This group is predominantly female (70-77%) and consists mainly of health professionals, wellness coaches, nutritionists, and health-conscious mothers. Their bios, shown in Figure 7, are filled with nature-related emojis and terms like "Holistic Nutritionist," "Wellness," and "Functional Medicine." Unlike the conspiracy-focused approach of conservative users, these advocates view red dye through a purely health and wellness lens.

What makes this audience particularly interesting is their positive, empowering approach to the issue. With sentiment levels ranging from 57% to 68% positive, they focus on education and providing practical alternatives rather than attacking institutions. They discuss natural dyes, organic foods, and holistic healing, often sharing recipes, tips, and resources for healthier living.


Figure 6: Wellness & Nutrition Advocates Leading Red Dye Ban Conversation (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.


Figure 7: Wellness & Nutrition Advocates Source Bios (July 2022-July 2025); Infegy Social Dataset.

Unlikely Allies in the Fight for Food Safety

The red dye ban conversation reveals one of the most fascinating examples of how health concerns can unite audiences that would otherwise never agree on anything - MAGA conservatives viewing food additives as government conspiracies while wellness advocates approach the issue through evidence-based health concerns, yet both arrive at the same conclusion. This convergence suggests that food safety might be one of the few issues capable of bridging America's political divide, and social listening tools like Infegy Starscape are uniquely positioned to uncover these hidden connections that traditional polling would miss entirely.