Remember that pink sauce that went viral on TikTok last summer? Now you can buy it at Walmart.
TikTok creator Chef Pii first introduced Pepto Bismol colored dipping sauce on the social network last June. As interest grew, sales grew and so did some criticism.
Consumers had questions about nutrition label information (number of servings and whether milk was an ingredient) and price ($20 at the time). So Chef Pii halted production and struck a deal with Dave’s Gourmet, which makes hot sauces and pasta sauces. Walmart will be the exclusive retailer for Pink Sauce through July 2023.
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What is the pink sauce?
It is a bright bubblegum colored seasoning that can be used on many foods. Chef Pii posted videos on TikTok last summer drizzling all sorts of dishes with the sauce, including chicken, tacos, gyros, and more. The sauce then also went viral on Twitter and Instagram. The Miami-based private chef’s real name is Veronica Shaw, according to the Los Angeles Times. (Her nickname for her as a child was “Rosa,” so she shortened it to “Pii” for her social media nickname.)
In a June 19 video, she said she “wanted to come up with a crazy innovative sauce like this” with a natural pink color.
What’s in the pink sauce?
Here are some of the ingredients, according to the Dave’s Gourmet Specialty Food site, where you can order pink sauce for $9.99 per 13-ounce bottle:
Dragon Fruit Puree Canola Oil Cream of Coconut Water Sugar White Distilled Vinegar Garlic Ranch Flavor (maltodextrin, onion powder, natural flavors, modified food starch)
Originally, there was concern that milk was an ingredient that could spoil and make the sauce unsafe. There is no dairy in the sauce, which is also vegan and gluten-free, according to the website.
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What does the pink sauce taste like?
This past summer, several videos showed people describing it as tasting similar to ranch dressing. When Marie Wright, head of global flavors for Archer Daniels Midland Co., recreated the sauce for the PopSugar website, she described it as “a spicy, slightly sweet touch on the ranch.”
When plans to produce the sauce were announced in August, Dave’s Gourmet president David Neuman said the company’s research and development staff “were able to reformulate the sauce to match the exact color and flavor profile of Chef Pii for the product and, at the same time, changing some of the ingredients to make the sauce less messy, dairy-free, and free of artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.”
What’s the deal with the FDA and pink sauce?
Last summer, some consumers complained that some bottles were leaking. And some were concerned when Pii was asked during an Instagram Live if the sauce was “FDA-approved.” She responded, “What do you mean ‘FDA-approved’? I don’t sell medical products,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Later, he told Mademoiselleosaki that he switched shipping companies and changed the product’s label to recommend refrigeration. He also said that the production facility where his sauce was made was certified by the Food and Drug Administration.
Dave’s Gourmet, which now produces Pink Sauce, has been in business since 1993 and makes several sauces, including Dave’s Insanity Sauce.
What are people saying about the pink sauce being at Walmart?
While some people on Twitter were surprised that the product was coming to Walmart, many were happy for Chef Pii. “I remember her getting a lot of hate/negativity and I’m happy she didn’t let that stop her.” said one person on Twitter.
Another person noted that he “clearly did what he had to do to get his product on that shelf.”
Contributing: Brett Molina
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
Source: news.google.com