Pink Sauce

History

Chef Pii first showed the Pink Sauce in a TikTok video on June 11, 2022, and began taking orders. The sauce went viral that summer, with the hashtag #pinksauce amassing over 80 million views. Customers noticed inconsistent ingredient lists and raised concerns about botulism. TikTok users pointed out that the sauce was not compliant with Food and Drug Administration regulations, citing typos in the ingredients list.

The product was revised for safety and went back on sale on July 1, 2022, selling out around August 3, 2022. Chef Pii planned mass production for fall 2022. Ingredients included water, sunflower seed oil, raw honey, distilled vinegar, garlic, dragon fruit, pink Himalayan sea salt, dried spices, lemon juice, milk, and citric acid. On January 11, 2023, after a reformulation and packaging redesign to meet FDA regulations, Pink Sauce became available in 4,000 Walmart locations across the United States.

Controversy

The sauce drew controversy over food safety and labeling. Customers noted color variation between batches, poor packaging, and that the milk content could allow botulism infection when packaged in a bag. There were discrepancies between the labeled and actual amount of sauce, and allegations that ingredients like mayonnaise were present but not listed. The bottle incorrectly stated 444 servings instead of 30 servings for 444 grams, causing confusion.

Misspellings appeared on the bottle, and nutritional information was unavailable on the website. Some consumers experienced food poisoning and were hospitalized; others reported the product smelled and looked rotten. One TikTok user faked their death after consuming Pink Sauce as a social experiment to see how quickly misinformation could spread. On August 21, 2022, YouTuber MatPat of the Food Theorists channel claimed the ingredients list was unrealistic and portions inaccurate, recommending viewers not consume the sauce.

These claims were later debunked by YouTuber Ann Reardon, who recreated the sauce using only the listed ingredients; she proved that dragon fruit could act as an egg substitute to stabilize the mixture. Chef Pii stated she had never weighed the product, so the label discrepancy was due to guesswork. When asked about FDA approval, she said her product was not a medical product, prompting backlash. She defended herself by saying, 'My apologies, I’m only human, I’m not perfect' and 'this is a small business that is just moving really, really fast.'