Experts Say Viral TikTok 'Pink Sauce' Condiment Is Unsafe

Yes, even food can go viral. The wildly popular “Pink Sauce” being sold on TikTok has food experts concerned. They’re sending out the message that the condiment is “absolutely not” safe to eat. Find out why.

What Is “Pink Sauce” and Why Is This Condiment so Popular?

Sold on TikTok, despite its major Pepto-Bismol vibes, the aptly named “Pink Sauce” condiment is wildly popular. Videos show it being slathered over gyros, chicken wings, shrimp, and more. But what is it?

According to reviews, “Pink Sauce” is not a rehash of the colorful versions of ketchup that circulated in the early 2000s. This is a new creation.

“Pink sauce” is a creation of Chef Pii, a private chef based out of Miami. Chef Pii’s pink sauce video has garnered nearly 90 million views on TikTok. Despite the $20 price tag, purchases of pink sauce are just as viral as their video.

What’s in It and How Does It Taste?

Besides offering pink sauce for sale on TikTok, Chef Pii also sells the condiment from his own website at ThePinkSauce.com. On the website, you’ll find a list of its ingredients.

The ingredients listed for pink sauce include Organic freeze-dried red dragon fruit powder, honey powder, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, salt, spices, and maltodextrin.

However, if you’re curious about how pink sauce tastes, you won’t find any documentation. The lack of clues about pink sauce’s taste is part of the hype and mystery that’s driving people to sample this trendy sauce.

True to its namesake, pink sauce has a vibrant pink color, nearly fluorescent. However, it should be noted, that there is no mention of ingredients that might be responsible for its pink color. Further, some customers on TikTok have commented that the color and consistency of the sauce are not the same across the board.

Food Experts Say: Pink Sauce Is “Absolutely Not” Safe to Eat

Food experts are concerned about this product. Chef Pii claims in a TikTok video that she is “following FDA standards” and is currently in “lab testing” to gain approval to sell the product in stores.

However, the experts say there is currently no official mark on the bottle or product indicating pink sauce has been approved by the FDA.

Chefs and Food Safety Experts Advise Consumers to Avoid

“It is absolutely not safe to buy unregulated food from strangers on a social media platform just because it has gone viral,” Bridget Joseph said, according to Yahoo News. “It’s different if, let’s say you see someone from your city has started a small food business online and sells daily meals and you get it delivered fresh and hot to your home or office.”

Joseph noted that products shipped through the mail to distant locations have “to ensure they have tested their product with the FDA or the food safety governing board of their country, ensure the product has proper nutritional facts and ingredients on the label [and provide] an address or contact info for any redress.”

However, for the record, there is a notice on the product website that pink sauce is “made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulation.” Technically, though, state regulations and federal regulations are different entities.

“FDA regulates all foods and food ingredients introduced into or offered for sale in interstate commerce, with the exception of meat, poultry, and certain processed egg products regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),” according to the FDA.

Some customers on TikTok have commented that they’ve received bottles that have come open, leaked, or appeared to have changed their consistency during the shipping process.

In terms of health concerns regarding the ingredients in pink sauce, Joseph pointed out that some of these can have negative health effects.

“In some cases, raw honey can cause botulism — an extreme case of food poisoning — due to natural bacteria that exists in it,” Joseph pointed out. “So it is no surprise that some people are reporting that they got violently ill after eating the pink sauce.”