'One Chip Challenge' Chip Pulled From Stores Following Teen's Death

A spokesperson for Paqui said the company was “deeply saddened” by the news.

A Massachusetts teenager died suddenly on Friday, and his parents believe his death could be connected to an ultra-spicy tortilla chip he ate earlier in the day.

Harris Wolobah passed out at school shortly after he completed the Paqui One Chip Challenge, by eating a single chip seasoned with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. The Doherty High School nurse called his mother, Lois, and she took Harris to their nearby home. However, several hours later, paramedics were called to the Wolobah residence, where they found the teen unresponsive.

According to The New York Times, he was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy has already been performed on Wolobah, but the “manner [of death] is still pending,” a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, shared with reporters.

Related: You Buy The World's Hottest Chips One At A Time

Regardless of the outcome, Lois Wolobah believes that the One Chip Challenge — a single chip that is sold inside a coffin-shaped carton — contributed to her son’s death. She also wants the chips to be removed from stores. “I just want there to be an awareness for parents to know that it’s not safe,” she told The Times. “It needs to be out of the market completely.”

A spokesperson for Paqui said that the company was “deeply saddened” to learn of Harris’ passing. “[We] express our condolences to the family,” the representative said. “It would be inappropriate for us to speculate or comment further.”

As of this writing, the Paqui One Chip Challenge is no longer listed with the brand’s other tortilla chips on its website, and it cannot be purchased through the company. “The Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant, or has underlying health conditions,” a warning recently added to Paqui.com read.

“We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings,” the company added. “As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the products from shelves.”

The company still lists FAQs for the One Chip Challenge, noting that it doesn’t have an “official Scoville rating for the chip itself,” before adding that it has been coated with a seasoning that uses “two of the hottest peppers currently available.” According to Paqui, the Carolina Reaper Peppers used on the chip are an estimated 1.7 million Scoville Units, and Naga Viper Peppers are 1.4 million Scoville Units. (By contrast, the average jalapeno is rated between 2,000 and 8,000 Scoville Units.)

One of the other components of the One Chip Challenge was waiting as long as possible to consume water or milk after eating the chip. An Instagram post on the @paquichips account suggested that drinking something to cool off after one minute was “Powerless,” while 10 minutes was “Powerful” and one hour was “Invincible.”

Paqui is currently offering refunds to customers who have purchased the One Chip Challenge; anyone who bought this product is encouraged to call 1-866-528-6848. 

For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.