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f in fda: tiktok's viral pink sauce oozes its way into infamy
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tiktok exploded with rumours that some had been hospitalized after eating the pink sauce, but so far no claims have been verified. getty
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having a business idea turn into an overnight sensation on tiktok seems like every entrepreneur’s dream. but as veronica shaw, the creator of the now infamous pink sauce, will likely attest — it can turn into an absolute nightmare.
pink sauce initially went viral at the start of june, when the miami-based personal chef under the user name @chefpii posted a video of her dipping what looks like fried chicken into a magneta-coloured concoction. over the coming weeks, shaw continued to post videos of the sauce to hundreds of thousands and sometime millions of views, but played coy when asked about the ingredients and what it tastes like.
the sauce officially went on sale on july 1 at 11:11 — a reference to an angel number representing manifestation — with bottles going for us$20 a pop. the website quickly sold out and curious buyers waited until the end of july for their order. it was then the fairy-tale met reality.
‘pink sauce’ arrived leaking, smelling rancid
when the pink stuff arrived, tiktokers shared videos of the bottles arriving in simple wrapping, with no refrigeration methods or protective bubble wrap to keep the bottles safe. images of the bottles arriving burst popped up on many newsfeeds, while some claimed the sauce smelled rancid.
“no, no ma’am,” said user @beautifulmonnie on tiktok, showing a video of a mailed package relegated to a zip-lock bag. “we’re not trying this, it stinks like throw up.”
according to the pink sauce website, the concoction contains water, sunflower seed oil, raw honey, distilled vinegar, garlic, pitaya (dragon fruit) and pink himalayan sea salt. it also contains “less than two per cent” of dried spices, lemon juice, citric acid and milk — which is where much of the concern lies.
“this contains milk in it,” said user @annareportsnews in a video. “there is nothing in the label about refrigeration, nor is there an expiration date.”
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in a livestream addressing the issues, shaw explained the milk and pitaya listed as ingredients are actually dried, so the product should be shelf-stable. citric acid and vinegar were also added as preservatives. shaw didn’t respond to the claims that some bottles smelled off.
even foods containing preservatives can spoil, especially if the package is not airtight, according to science direct. certain yeasts, moulds and bacteria can fester in high-acid foods, especially if it is not properly heat-treated. shipping food long distances also comes with a host of challenges, from regulating temperatures during transit to ensuring the integrity of the packaging.
illnesses from food is something to take very seriously, as it can result in more than just an upset stomach. in june, daily harvest — a plant-based meal delivery service — had to recall their french lentil and leek crumbles when hundreds reported falling ill and at least one person wound up in hospital from the product. daily harvest has identified tara flour as the cause of the issue.
tiktok exploded with rumours that some had been hospitalized after eating the pink sauce, but so far no claims have been verified.
(it’s also probably important to note that depending on how raw honey is treated, it may not be safe for infants or the immunocompromised.)
nutrition label for pink sauce clearly wrong
the nutrition label on the pink sauce website also says there is 444 servings (another angel number) in each container, which, at a measure of one tablespoon per serving clicks in at almost 28 cups or more than 6.5 litres — definitely not what is pictured in the deliveries customers are getting. shaw indicated that the mistake was only on prototypes that they sent out as a giveaway, before the product hit the market. new labels have been made with the correction, she said, and will be on all products shipped out going forwards.
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“there are 444 grams of pink sauce in each bottle … if you do the math you will see that we clearly accidentally made a typo,” shaw said. “i have a graphic designer and the graphic designer made a typo and accidentally put grams in the servings instead of 30 servings.”
fda woes
in the livestream, shaw said the pink sauce is made in an fda-regulated facility, however, questions about the specifics of the production facility went unanswered.
an undated video surfaced this week of shaw responding to questions about fda approval, which appears to highlight a misunderstanding about the needed permits.
“what do you mean fda approved?” shaw asked in the screen capture of the livestream. “the pink sauce is not a medical product. the pink sauce don’t contribute to your health.”
shortly after this video was released, and demonstrating the iron clad grip this story has on the internet’s attention, “f in fda” began trending on twitter. the f, of course, referring to the association’s mandate to regulate food as well as health products.
since it is unclear when this video was taken, it’s difficult to say if regulations and food permits were sorted before the product was sold to consumers.
according to florida’s cottage food regulations, home chefs can produce and sell a specified set of products to the consumer without obtaining a food permit as long as their gross sales stay under us$250,000. barbecue sauces, ketchups, mustard, flavoured oils and garlic dips, however, fall on the”prohibited” list, meaning fda approval is necessary.
continuing to make pink sauce
despite the uproar, shaw said she was addressing complaints and learning as she developed. new videos show her packaging the product in — what else? — a bright pink box, and making the sauce in the aforementioned facility. in an interview with the washington post, shaw also explained she had switched shipping companies since so many of the bottles had arrived damaged.
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“i just need y’all to understand that this is a small business, although it went viral overnight,” shaw said in her livestream. “ … this is every small business’s dream. yes, i thank god for everything that i have, i thank god for the position that i’m in. i am blessed.”
update 2022-07-27: this post was updated to clarify the nature of the daily harvest food recall.
emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on instagram and twitter @jonesyjourn.
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