Abstract: Intelligent food packaging has gained significant attention as people become increasingly concerned about food safety and quality. One particular aspect of this field, visualized intelligent packaging materials, has become particularly popular among researchers. However, it should be noted that traditional indicators used in such packaging have proven to be toxic and prone to leakage, posing potential risks to human health as they alter the composition of the food. To address this issue, biopolymers and natural plant dyes are becoming more vital in the field of visualized intelligent packaging due to their biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and lack of pollution. Consequently, this study focuses on the preparation of a double crosslinked pH-responsive hydrogel (EEP), which uses the plant dye emodin (EMO) and polyvinyl alcohol. EEP is intended to serve as gel-like pH-responsive intelligent packaging material. The study examines the internal crosslinking of EEP through Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy and evaluates the release of EMO within EEP. Additionally, the study assesses the EEP's color change, mechanical properties, swelling behavior, ammonia response, and antibacterial capabilities. The double crosslinking of EEP resulted in a more compact structure compared to the physical crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel. Consequently, the equilibrium swelling rate of EEP and the mobility rate of EMO decreased by approximately 70% and 45%, respectively. The high bactericidal rate of EEP against staphylococcus aureus, attributed to the biopharmaceutical properties of EMO, was observed to be as high as 94.6%. Moreover, the prepared EEP exhibited an intriguing color transition from yellow to red in the pH range of 7—12, along with a rapid response to ammonia vapor. It was also observed that after being treated with volatile hydrochloric acid, EEP could be reused multiple times. EEP was successfully employed in a shrimp spoilage experiment, where it facilitated visual monitoring of the freshness of the shrimp. The color change from yellow to red served as an indication of shrimp spoilage. Consequently, the nontoxic and antibacterial double crosslinked pH-responsive hydrogel, demonstrates a promising potential for applications in visual food intelligent packaging and gas-sensitive labels.