Chef Pii: A Pepto-colored condiment has completely flooded TikTok, sparking a firestorm of social media discourse around it and its potential dangers.
On June 11, Chef Pii, a Miami-based private chef and social media influencer, posted a short TikTok video of herself dipping a chicken fillet into a bowl of bright pink sauce before taking a bite. This video garnered over 755,000 views, but it only began the journey of a product she invented called “pink sauce.”
Chef Pii’s TikToks have been viewed millions of times, with her most-viewed video currently sitting at 6.7 million. All of the videos on her account about the sauce, which she says contains sunflower oil, honey, chilli, garlic and dragon fruit (which gives it its pink colour), have attracted tens of thousands of views, and there are at least 100 to date.
All this virality has not come without a litany of criticism of the sauce business.
Discussions around this Chef Pii pink sauce were trending on Twitter on Thursday, mostly criticizing how it became famous through shady means.
“Buying PINK sauce that tastes unknown and is shipped in BAGS in the heat of summer is definitely a choice,” one person tweeted.
In addition to countless tweets and memes, there are real concerns about the safety of a product that, as Chef Pii told NBC News, is “still in testing.”
“First of all, (the label says) 444 servings, but the serving size is 1 tablespoon. It’s about 28 cups,” TikTok user @annareportsnews said in a video that’s garnered 1.8 million views. She also said that some people received spilled materials when they received their orders, adding that the labels on all orders shipped so far are not correct. “Is there anything else on the label that’s actually correct?”
Critics of the pink sauce also noted that, according to the label on products received by customers, the sauce contains milk, but the packaging does not meet the typical refrigeration requirements for foods containing dairy and does not provide an expiration date.
Typically, product oversights like this are what lead to upset stomachs, food poisoning or worse.
These risks are why the Food and Drug Administration strictly regulates the sale of condiments and sauces, requiring anyone who wants to sell them to the public to obtain a food facility registration.
The FDA registration process requires applicants to meet certain criteria related to product labeling, manufacturing practices, chemical composition (which is obtained by subjecting the product to scientific testing), and more.
That’s why, as TikTok user and pink sauce maker @metalhoneyfoodshbic said in her TikTok reviewing her own test results for a hot honey company called Metal Honey Foods, include an element that tells product makers “the likelihood of developing something like botulism, which can kill you.”
According to the CDC, foodborne botulism can be caused by improperly stored foods, such as home-canned foods that have not been properly prepared or foods that have not been prepared or stored correctly.
The CDC also warns that common sources of foodborne botulism include home-cooked foods (or foods not made in a designated facility) that have been improperly canned, preserved, or fermented.
Chef Pii told TODAY Food she is fully aware of people’s concerns.
“We did a soft launch of about 100 units on June 25 and then opened the site on July 1,” Chef Pii told TODAY Food in a phone call.
He also said the sauce changed over time from a dark pink to a lighter pink — another facet of the sauce that drew attention, Chef Pii as the composition of the product changed from its original prototype, which it served to customers in person and what it ended up as until shipping to customers.
“We changed the color based on the public’s point of view, because they were complaining that the pink was too bright,” Chef Pii explained. “So we made it a little bit lighter. All they judge are prototypes.”
He also said he had stopped producing the sauce and would send an email to customers who had already purchased the products. On Thursday night, he posted a nearly hour-long video titled “Let’s Set the Record Straight!” to his YouTube channel.
“I want to let you know that we have suspended production,” Chef Pii told TODAY. “The health (of our customers) is our number one priority. Your trust is our number one priority, making you happy. And getting the pink sauce right is our number one priority.”
In the caption of another controversial pink sauce video, @seansvv later wrote: “I sincerely wish you would get a license, fix the labels, correct the mistakes, and then sell everything, legally.
Conclusion
TODAY reached out to the FDA to verify whether Chef Pii’s Pink Sauce was in the process of product registration, and an FDA spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny but said that generally speaking, food producers are required to follow current good manufacturing practices to help ensure food safety.
CGMP regulations generally address issues such as proper personnel hygiene practices, food plant design and construction and maintenance of plant grounds, plant equipment, sanitation operations, facility sanitation, and production and process controls during food production.
“As is always the case, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to continually ensure that foods placed on the market are safe, wholesome and comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
