A TikTok creator’s homemade pickle products have sparked an online conversation about the importance of food safety. Months after the app’s Pink Sauce incident, another creator has gone viral for their PickleMeEverything product. Though they’ve made a public apology and granted refunds after backlash from improperly packaging food products sold online, a larger conversation has been brought to light about the dangers of social media influencers creating and selling food items. Nonprofit organization Partnership for Food Safety Education says, “social media creates ‘enthusiasm’ around homemade products…and people are just so willing to order food without really understanding what’s been done to make that food.” YPulse research shows that young consumers are trusting influencers for just about everything—and our Celebrities and Influencers report found that a third of Gen Z and Millennials say they’ve tried a new food / recipe after hearing about it from an online celeb. (NBC)
