Paqui, the maker of extremely spicy tortilla chips marketed as the “One Chip Challenge,” is voluntarily pulling the product from shelves after a woman said her teenage son died of complications from consuming a single chip.

The chips were sold individually, and their seasoning included two of the hottest peppers in the world: the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper.

Each chip was packaged in a coffin-shaped container with a skull on the front.

Lois Wolobah told NBC Boston that her 14-year-old son, Harris Wolobah, ate the chip Friday, then went to the school nurse with a stomachache. Wolobah said Harris — a sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester, Massachusetts — passed out at home that afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day, she said.

Until sales of the product were suspended, Paqui’s marketing dared people to participate in the challenge by eating a chip, posting pictures of their tongues on social media after the chip turned it blue and then waiting as long as possible to relieve the burn with water or other food.

The challenge has existed in some form since 2016.

  • Flying Squid
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    -21 year ago

    Are stores not allowed to decide what they want to sell?

    • @[email protected]
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      1 year ago

      How does that relate to my comment? We don’t have an official cause of death on this guy. We just have the mother claiming it was from the chip. The paper claiming the kid had a stroke 2 days after eating a hot chip seems very questionable.

      We have lots of people who have gone to the ER after being in intense pain from eating something that causes intense pain. No evidence presented that they were actually in danger.

      Chiropractors and dentists are well documented for causing strokes after neck adjustments and surgeries. There’s even a good explanation for why, in that they can both cause tears in the neck blood vessels and arteries resulting in blood clots that can very quickly get to the brain.

      • Flying Squid
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        -21 year ago

        a 15-year-old boy had suffered an acute cerebellar stroke two days after eating one on a dare.

        No actual danger?

        • @[email protected]
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          31 year ago

          First, he didn’t have a stroke. Second, he had issues that arose during football practice 2 days later. Give me a break.