Ethermac|Paqui removes 2023 'One Chip Challenge' from store shelves, citing teen use

Snack company Paqui is Ethermacchoosing to remove it's signature spicy chips from store shelves around the country this week, after a Massachusetts teenager died while trying to complete the company's advertised "One Chip Challenge."

Harris Wolobah, 14, was found unresponsive and not breathing earlier this month in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to police. His death is being investigated by a state medical examiner, whose office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

The teen's family said on a GoFundMe page they "suspect" Wolobah's death to be related to complications from the "One Chip Challenge."

The extremely hot corn chips that Paqui LLC, marketed as part of its "One Chip Challenge" are made with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers and are meant only for adult consumption, according to packaging labels.

"We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves," Paqui spokesperson Kim Metcalfe told USA TODAY.

The decision to pull the "One Chip Challenge" chips from store shelves this week comes after the company saw an "increase in teen usage" of the product, Metcalfe said. The move by the Austin, Texas-based company is voluntarily, and is not a recall, she said. The company's website also says it made the decision out of "an abundance of caution," noting the individually wrapped "One Chip Challenge" product adhered to food safety standards.

"We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve one chip challenge product," Metcalfe said in the statement.

Paqui chips have been available at gas stations, drug stores and some food retailers, according to the company website's store locator. The company makes other flavored tortilla chips, including Zesty Salsa Verde and Mucho Nacho Cheese varieties.

Are extremely spicy foods dangerous?

The heat or pain we feel after eating a hot pepper is not an indication of physical harm, according to federal researchers. Rather, it's a neurological signal our body sends to our brain telling us not to take another bite.

"People have a misconception about heat from peppers. There is not actual heat, it's a brain trick," said Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper pepper.

There have been instances of people complaining of headaches after eating the Carolina Reaper, however.

In 2018, a 34-year-old man went to the emergency room complaining of severe headaches just days after eating the pepper. Newsweek reported that brain scans revealed constricted arteries that eventually returned to their normal state five weeks later. In 2020, the National Center for Biotechnological Information reported an incident of a 15-year-old boy who ate a Carolina Reaper and had an acute cerebellar stroke two days later after being hospitalized because of headaches.

What is the Scoville Scale?

The Carolina Reaper is one of the hottest peppers in the world on the Scoville Scale.

The scale reflects the level of heat of a pepper based on the level capsaicin it contains.

The scale was invented in 1912 by a pharmacologist named Wilbur Scoville, according to the commerce department's National Institute of Standards and Safety. To measure the heat of a pepper, its capsaicinoids are diluted until the heat can no longer be tasted by a panel taste testers, the NIST's website says.

The longer a pepper takes to dilute, the higher it rates on the Scoville Scale.

What is the One Chip Challenge?

In recent years, the brand Paqui has sold individually wrapped corn chips made with hot peppers and advertised the #OneChipChallenge on their website, encouraging consumers to tag the company on social media after they try to eat the chip and see how long they can keep from eating or drinking anything else afterwards.

Videos posted to TikTok show young people and adults unwrapping the single triangle-shaped corn chip, which is covered in a layer of pepper, and challenging themselves to eat it. Some videos have upwards of 200,000 likes.

Extracts vs. organic heat

People interested in exploring spicy foods should consider that manufactured foods can contain exaggerated versions of the spiciness that occurs naturally in hot peppers, Currie said.

Hot peppers can be turned up a notch and become intolerably hot for everyday consumers when their oils are condensed into an extract, said hot pepper competition winner Kelly Myers, of Leighton, Pennsylvania.

"Unfortunately, there are things with extract in it where the pepper is not at its organic level anymore," he said.

Beyond that, it's also possible to use chemicals to create spicy substances that rate higher on the Scoville Scale than organic peppers eaten on their own, according to Currie.

Contributing: Claire Mulroy, USA TODAY