'Super spicy' chips land 14 Tokyo students in hospital
Fourteen high school students in Tokyo, Japan were hospitalized after consuming "super spicy" potato chips, as reported by local media. The incident took place during recess when over 30 students shared the chips known as "R 18+ Curry Chips." Symptoms experienced included nausea and acute mouth pain. One student was so ill they required a wheelchair for transport. The chips were brought to school by a male student who had previously found them to be "super spicy."
Manufacturer's warning ignored by students
The "R 18+ Curry Chips" were confirmed as the cause by multiple media outlets, including Asahi Shimbun and Fuji TV. The manufacturer's website explicitly warns that children under 18 are "banned" from consuming these chips due to their extreme spiciness, which "might cause you pain." The chips contain a significant amount of ghost pepper, or Bhut Jolokia, once recognized as the world's hottest pepper. The website also advises against consumption for those with high blood pressure and weak stomachs.
Student brought chips to school for 'fun'
Tokyo emergency services, the school, and the chip maker were not immediately available for comment when contacted by news agency AFP. The incident has raised concerns about the consumption of extremely spicy foods, particularly among young people. The student who brought the chips to school reportedly did so "just for fun," according to Fuji TV.
Spicy snack trend linked to health risks
The trend of extremely spicy snack foods has grown in recent years, often associated with social media "challenges." These snacks have occasionally resulted in hospitalizations worldwide and were even linked to the death of a Massachusetts teen last year. Denmark recently recalled several types of Korean ramen noodles due to their high chili extract content, which national regulators noted was more concentrated than in chili chips that caused recent poisonings in Germany.
