Pickles Are Colored

During my ongoing pickle explorations, I again found myself reading labels of pickle jars. Did you know all pickles have food coloring (yellow #5)? I wonder if it's to dye the pickles or color the pickling juice?

I would certainly buy and try uncolored pickles, regardless of how they look. But a survey of all the jars at a major supermarket revealed every one contained yellow #5. I guess it's a Nash equilibrium. Few people will buy ugly pickles when pretty ones exist. If enough producers deviated, perhaps they could make an issue of selling undyed pickles, thus changing consumer's preferences and establishing a new, possibly more efficient, equilibrium.

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