On Thursday (Sept. 7), Hershey’s subsidiary Paqui, a Texas-based food manufacturer, issued a recall of its popular One Chip Challenge product. The company acted after the family of 14-year-old Worcester, MA teen Harris Wolobah, who passed away last Friday (Sept. 1), claimed that the ultra-hot and spicy product packaged in a black, cardboard coffin took their child from them.
Paqui sold the single blue corn chip with a warning that the product can cause “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain” due to its Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper Pepper ingredients. Beyond a warning against children eating the chip, the box included warnings about protecting people sensitive or allergic to “spicy foods… peppers, night shades or capsaicin” and those who “are pregnant or have any medical conditions.”
Yet, Paqui discovered many people ignored them. Per NPR, the company stated, “We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings. As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with retailers to remove the product from shelves.” Paqui also offered a consumer hotline, 866-528-6848, to refund the approximate $10 cost per chip and package.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early issued a message to parents that included the following:
“The company warnings state the chips are intended for adult consumption. Other states across the country have seen hospitalizations due to the chip challenge, including teens.”
Doctors at several leading academic and research hospitals also issued statements. Common themes included warnings about the potential for mild to severe symptoms and serious irritation caused by capsaicin — one of the chemicals used to give the chip a fiery taste commonly found in pepper spray — as well as the types of symptoms associated with severe sensitivity, such as difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, fainting and irreversible heart injury.