Online retailer Amazon has removed a flaming-hot tortilla chip from sale in the UK after it was linked to the death of an American teenager.
The chip, marketed as the “One Chip Challenge” by snack-maker Paqui, was pulled for sale following the death of Harris Wolobah, 14, in Massachusetts last week.
Harris’s cause of death has not been confirmed but his parents believe it was linked to the chip, which features in viral challenge and have called for it to be banned.
The social media dare involves eating a very spicy chip and waiting for as long as possible before drinking water or taking something for relief.
Chips manufacturer Paqui advertises the challenge on its website as the “2023 Paqui One Chip Challenge”. A similar branding can be seen on the wrapper of the particular chip that Harris’s family said he ate as well.
Paqui packages the single chip in a coffin-shaped wrapper and warns that it should be kept out of children’s reach.
It also has a warning label advising those facing breathing difficulty or extended nausea to seek immediate medical assistance, as per its website. The warning also says those “allergic to peppers, night shades or capsaicin” and those pregnant or with medical conditions should not eat the chip.
“I pray to god that no parents will go through what I am going through,” Harris’s mother Louis Wolobah told CBS in tears. “I don’t want to see anybody hurting the way I’m hurting. I miss my son so much.”
Ms Wolobah said she went to pick up her son on Friday after receiving a call from the school informing her that Harris had fainted after eating a chip shared by a fellow student, leaving him with a stomach ache.
“When I went there, he was lying down and I said, ‘what was the chip you ate?’ And this is what he showed me,” said Ms Wolobah, and referred to an image of the “One Chip Challenge”.
Though he felt better at home, he passed out just before he was about to leave for a basketball tryout at around 4.30pm, reported NBC Boston. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Tina Potter, from the Food Standards Agency, told BBC News: “So far we have not received any reports of illness here.”
In a statement, Paqui said: “While the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, we have seen an increase in teen usage of the product. We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves.
“The product’s label clearly states it is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions.
“We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve one chip challenge product.”
Massachusetts investigates teen's death as company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves
Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen's death
