Eating Cheez-Its turned a woman’s mouth blue, she claims—now she’s concerned.
TikToker Em (@emm2frosty) uploaded a viral clip of her discolored mouth that’s accrued over 4.6 million views on the platform. It left numerous folks on the application wondering how this happened.
“I ate blue Cheez-Its,” Em says at the top of the video, looking into the camera. Her lips are visibly tinged blue, as if she directly swallowed a jar of dye.
Next, she opens her mouth to reveal that it isn’t just her lips that are colored blue. In fact, the hue has spread to her teeth and gums, even lining the crevices in her molars. Following this, she sticks out her tongue, even more saturated with the color.
Upon seeing how blue her mouth is, she expresses shock. “Holy!” Em exclaims before briefly looking off camera but then directs her attention to the lens. “I spit it all out into a plate. Like I bit into a Cheez-It, and it just tasted chemically.”
She swishes her mouth around while pursing her lips. Then, she looks back into the Cheez-It box.
“It’s out of this box,” Em says, displaying its contents to the camera while visibly grimacing. “I don’t know what this is…I don’t know if I’m going to be OK.”
What happened to this box of Cheez-Its?
The Daily Dot reported on another TikTok user who purportedly experienced the same issue. In her video, she also showed that her tongue also changed color to a dark blue, almost black color.
This suggests that a factory malfunction could have resulted in certain batches of Cheez-Its being contaminated with an atypical substance dying these customers’ mouths. The Daily Dot has reached out to Cheez-Its via email and Em via TikTok comment for further information.
CBS News has reported that “artificial food dyes…[can] turn…your child’s mouth the color of anti-freeze.”
Furthermore, in a blog forum post uploaded to Chef Talk, professional bakers discussed the color-altering effects food dyes can have on diners’ mouths. One person said patrons are usually upset by “deep color pigmented items such as macarons.” That’s because, upon consumption, these colors will often stain their mouth and teeth.
While it’s a jarring sight for many people, the changes aren’t permanent. According to White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics, “food coloring is not teeth-staining.”
However, why would an orange Cheez-it turn someone’s mouth blue?
Do Cheez-Its contain food dye?
Some variations of the popular cheese-flavored snack crackers do, indeed, contain different dyes.
According to the Environmental Working Group, Cheez-Its Snack Mix, Sweet & Salty contains several food dye variants. Red 40, Red 40 Lake, FD&C Blue #2, BLUE 2 Lake, Blue 1, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake, TBHQ, and Soybean Oil (with TBHQ).
Cheez-Its’ website states its Double Cheese Snack Mix also contains Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Moreover, the brand’s original variant also contains annatto extract, but this isn’t a chemical compound. It’s a natural food dye that is derived “from the seeds of the Bixa orellana tree,” according to Verywell Health.
The outlet notes that different extraction methods either result in a yellow or red coloring. While annatto extract is considered generally safe for human consumption, some report it causes allergic reactions.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, food dyes can culminate in a variety of potential health issues. “Organ damage, cancer, birth defects and allergic reactions.” Additionally, combining dyes can purportedly lead to hyperactivity in children.
However, Healthline maintains that “there is no conclusive evidence that food dyes are dangerous for most people.”
@emm2frosty SOMEBODY HELP? #bluecheeze #help #blue #cheezit #foryourpage #itsblue ♬ original sound – emm2frosty
TikTokers react
One person who responded to Em’s video didn’t seem to take her blue-hued mouth all that seriously. “Your teeth look so cool! I like the way they look!”
While others were weirded out after seeing different TikTok users with blue mouths. “You are the second person I’ve seen eat a blue cheese it! She said it had like ink in it like baked into it.”
Another questioned, “Why is this happening to so many people?”
“The way I would immediately go to urgent care,” one seemingly frightened TikTok user penned.
At least on TikTok user urged Em to take legal action. “Oh girl you better, sue and get your bag.”
