"In case anyone is looking for inexpensive food poisoning": Pink Sauce at Walmart memes take over Twitter 

Pink Sauce by Chef Pii aka Veronica Shaw has officially made it to Walmart shelves across the United States, and will be available from July 2023.

The fluorescent pink condiment raised health and safety concerns when it was first introduced in June 2022.

Chef Pii, who created the sauce, signed a partnership deal with Dave’s Gourmet LLC., as its supplier and distributor. When the Pink Sauce first went viral in June, Veronica shipped the product from her online store. However, complaints and concerns regarding the condiment soon started flooding in.

In a press release, Dave’s Gourmet said that Veronica’s preparation of the condiment intrigued the internet and that the products were sold out soon after the launch. However, Chef Pii lacked expertise in food production which caused significant obstacles.

Though there were initial concerns surrounding the safety of the sauce, Dave’s asserted that they are manufacturing the product following FDA guidelines. They also said that they would be producing the product in a certified facility to make it “shelf-stable."

Nevertheless, netizens are not completely convinced and have since taken to Twitter to share their reactions via memes. While some sarcastically told people that the Pink Sauce was available in Walmart, others simply refused to buy the sauce.

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Netizens urge others not to buy Pink Sauce which is available at Walmart

Despite Dave's assurances about the condiment now being safe to consume, the majority of people are still not reassured. They continue to be skeptical about Chef Pii's products and refuse to buy them from Walmart.

Some even urged others not to buy the sauce and shared images of hospital chambers. They seemed to imply that consuming the sauce would lead to them being sick and hospitalized.

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The journey of Pink Sauce from Chef Pii's online store to the Walmart shelves

When Chef Pii introduced her concoction on TikTok, people started buying it out of curiosity. However some buyers pointed out that the nutrition labels on the packs were error-ridden and that there were no instructions on how to store the condiment.

Others were concerned because the sauce appeared to have been prepared in a home kitchen. They also said that the sauce lacked consistency in color as it ranged from baby pink to hot pink.

Some customers also complained on TikTok and Twitter that when their ordered products arrived, the bottles of the Pink Sauce were spoiled or damaged.

In a July 2022 interview, Chef Pii said:

“I guess when you’re great, you can’t make a mistake, but, I mean, yeah. My team is working quickly to fix the issues. We had some delays with getting into our facility and stuff like that. We had shipment issues. However, we’re working rapidly to fix all the problems.”

When Chef Pii started selling the sauce, it was priced at $20 per bottle. The sauce was recommended to be paired with chicken tenders, burgers, burritos, and salads. However, Chef Pii was unable to give customers a description of what the condiment would taste like before shipping the products.

As buyers started receiving their packages, the complaints piled up. The labels were misprinted, but Pii corrected them for her later orders. When customers raised questions about the product’s safety, Pii clarified that the sauce was not being prepared in her home kitchen, but in an FDA-certified commercial facility.

The Pink Sauce is reportedly dragon fruit-based with a sweet and sour flavor. After her partnership with Dave’s Gourmet, Chef Pii and the brand had to alter the recipe and the packaging of the condiment.

The upgraded ingredients of Pink Sauce now comprise dragon fruit, canola oil, coconut cream, ranch flavoring, and onion powder. The packaging has also changed from a plastic squirt container to a glass bottle.

Veronica Shaw, who goes by Chef Pii, is a single mother raising her two kids while working as a private chef. Since her partnership with Dave’s, it seems like the stress of making, packaging and shipping bottles of the sauce on her own has been lifted off her shoulders.

The upgraded version of the viral Pink Sauce will be available at 4300 Walmart outlets from July 2023. The bottles are priced at roughly $8 each.