Sudden nausea, profuse sweating, blue tongues – these are just some of the symptoms associated with the “single slide challenge,” the latest trend on social media to launch warnings in Bay Area schools.
Since 2016, Paqui chip makers have promised to “shock” consumers with their annual “One Chip Challenge.” The directions are simple: Eat one of the peppery potato chips, sold in individual coffin-shaped packets, and see how long you can last before “shortening the circle” and seeking relief.
The Texas company is asking participants to share their experience online, and thousands of users have posted videos on platforms like TikTok since the “Reaper Chip” challenge began this year.
The 2022 slice is decorated with Reaper and Scorpion peppers, both of which contain more than 1 million Scoville units of heat (the average jalapeno pepper contains less than 8,000 Scoville units). The company says the spice will turn your tongue a bright blue color.
Several teens have been hospitalized after eating the chips, with a TikTok user posting a video of herself in the emergency room that has been viewed more than 15.7 million times.
Some schools in East Bay have had to send warnings to parents after students fell ill while attempting the challenge, including Walnut Creek Middle School.
“Some of the kids were buying chips from their local 7-Eleven store across the street and taking little bites. We had two reports of kids who weren’t feeling well afterwards, but then we had an incident where a student ate an entire slice for lunch,” said Principal Jason Lo. “.
“A minute passed and his mouth was still very hot, so he went to the drinking fountain. Then his classmates started giving him things from their lunch to help. Things got worse and worse, to the point where he was vomiting violently in the trash and writhing on the floor in pain.
“We were really worried; we thought of calling an ambulance. It scared all the kids.”
The child recovered, and Lu went to the local chip shop to inform the owner, who decided to keep the chips behind the counter and sell them only to adults. The school has not seen a similar episode since then.
Several students were also sent home from Wells Middle School in Dublin last week, prompting the school to distribute a warning to parents. In a weekly update for parents, school officials said the chips caused some students to vomit excessively, even after one small bite.
“We learned about the ‘One Chip Challenge’ trend last week after sending several students home due to negative reactions related to this product,” said Dublin Unified Schools.
“Some may think that bringing this challenge to our parents’ attention is unnecessary, but when you read a product warning label that states, among other things, keep this product away from children and warns of situations that may result in the need to seek medical attention, You realize that caution is required, because this challenge is not one to be taken lightly.”
The Fremont Unified School District has also been informed of the problem, as has the Palo Alto School District, where a student was recently sent home sick.
In a statement, Paqui said her team was concerned to hear about such incidents and that she intended challenged consumers to do so with a “full understanding of what it is.”
“We take safety very seriously and have worked hard to ensure that our products are properly and clearly labeled with allergens and safety information. As our label states, the Paqui One Chip Challenge is known to be extremely hot. The product should be handled with extreme caution,” the company said.
It should not be taken by individuals who are sensitive to spicy foods, are allergic to peppers, eggplant, or capsaicin, are minors, are pregnant, or have medical conditions.
“We hope people considering taking on this challenge read the packaging carefully first to avoid a negative experience.”
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[contact-form-7]Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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