The tortilla chip brand Paqui, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company, is pulling its viral "One Chip Challenge" from shelves following the death of a 14-year-old boy. And at least one major chain has already stopped selling the product.
Harris Wolobah of Worcester, MA died on the afternoon of Sept. 1 after consuming the chip as part of a social media challenge earlier in the day. Authorities said they were called to the boy's house and found him “unresponsive and not breathing." Wolobah was later pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital. An autopsy is still pending, and the One Chip Challenge's role in his death remains unclear.
The One Chip Challenge is a single tortilla chip that includes two of the world's spiciest peppers among its ingredients, the Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper. It retails for around $10 and comes wrapped in a sealed foil pouch enclosed in a coffin-shaped cardboard box. Although the packaging warns that the product is intended for adults and should be kept out of reach of children, it's become popular among teens thanks to TikTok.
In a statement on its website, Paqui said that had asked retailers to stop selling the One Chip Challenge from retailer shelves. 7-Eleven has already removed the product from shelves.
"The Paqui one chip challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions," the company wrote.
"We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings," the statement continued. "As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves."
The company added that it was also offering refunds on the individually-wrapped product.
Dr. Lauren Rice, chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, told the Associated Press that while some people have very mild reactions to the chip such as burning or tingling of the lips in the mouth, others experience more severe symptoms.
"This goes back to the ingredients that are used with the tortilla chip," Rice explained. "There are some spices like capsaicin, which is a chemical ingredient that we use in things like pepper spray and so they are very strong chemicals and they can be very irritating. Some of the more severe symptoms that we see can be things like significant abdominal pain or nausea and vomiting."
The community has planned a vigil for Wolobah, who was described as a "promising basketball player," at a park in Worcester on Friday evening, as authorities investigate what exactly caused his death.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/OvJM2Fb
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