16 November 2023 , 14:40
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Four German states have banned the ultra-spicy 'hot crisp" after a popular youth challenge led to several teenagers being hospitalised and a 14-year-old teenager dying in the USA.
The product is about 400 times spicier than Tabasco sauce or jalapeno and was banned in Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, and Lower Saxony. Now Berlin food organisations are urging authorities to take action after Harris Wolobah, 14, from the US state of Massachusetts, died when doing the 'one chip [crisp] challenge' in September. Meanwhile, five young people, who had eaten the crip, were admitted to the Virchow Hospital in Berlin, with symptoms including shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and stomach pain.
The crisps that have caused a death (CEN)One of them, who had a previous medical condition, was reportedly admitted to the intensive care unit. Berlin Consumer Centre spokesperson Brita Schaut said: "Food must be safe because consumers cannot see from the outside whether it is safe or not. That's why Berlin must also take such measures to protect children in particular, but also adult consumers." Produced in the Czech Republic and flavoured with the Carolina Reaper chilli, the snacks were sold as individual tortilla crisps in a coffin-shaped cardboard box for £8.
The crisp is so sharp that the pack also contains a protective latex glove, as well as a sticker and a discount card for friends. The 'One Chip Challenge' created by American brand Paqui in 2016, involves eating the crisp and waiting as long as possible before eating or drinking anything else. Investigations have now revealed that there were fluctuating batches on the market shelves, some of which had extremely high levels of chilli pepper extract. Several of these batches were recalled by German authorities due to health risks.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: "Capsaicin is a component of chillies and other types of peppers that is responsible for their hot, burning taste. If such spicy chips are eaten, mucous membrane irritation, nausea, vomiting, and circulatory problems can occur.
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"In Germany, young people have already had to be treated in hospital after consuming these products." The Czech manufacturer is no longer supplying the controversial product to Germany. Other products are not affected by the export ban, said media. Consumer Protection Minister Priska Hinz, 64, said: "Health protection comes first. The decree is intended to ensure that even remaining stocks of the extremely hot chips are not sold and thus possibly end up in the hands of children."