Paqui is recalling its extraordinarily spicy chip "out of an abundance of caution" after a teenager suddenly died after his family said he participated in the company's viral "One Chip Challenge" dare.
Paqui, the tortilla chip maker that produces chips dusted with the world's hottest peppers, is pulling its product from store shelves "in an abundance of caution," the company announced.
The move comes one week after the sudden death of a 14-year-old boy whose family said he died suddenly after competing in the foodmaker's viral "One Chip Challenge," that dares people to eat one mega-hot chip, then go as long as possible before drinking water or eating.
“The Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children,” Paqui, a subsidiary of the Hershey Company, said on its website.
“We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings," the company said Thursday.
Last Friday, Massachusetts high school sophomore Harris Wolobah died hours after trying the "One Chip Challenge," in which users are urged to eat the "vicious chip" for "a truly twisted experience."
The teen became ill after eating the chip and went to the nurse's office, where his parents picked him up, according to school officials. Later that afternoon, he was found unresponsive and rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Autopsy results are pending.
The company warns its snacks are intended for adults only and that they should be kept away from children. The Paqui website also warns the chips should not be eaten by those who are pregnant or allergic to peppers, and that hands should be washed with soap and water after handling the food.
It also advises eaters to seek medical assistance if "you experience difficulty breathing, fainting, or extended nausea."
Celebrities have weighed in on the dare. A TV news anchor vomited on air in 2017 after eating one of the chips. School districts across the country have banned the chips, which are sold individually in coffin-shaped containers, after receiving reports that students had been hospitalized after taking the social media challenge.
Online videos of those engaging in the challenge have shown some people gagging and begging for water after the eating the chip, which turns your mouth and tongue blue.
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