The Reason This Jerky Comes With A Warning Label

The grass-fed beef jerky maker Country Archer Provisions is set to add a new flavor to its product line. This one, though, comes with a massive warning written in red on the back of the bag: "After consuming jerky, wash your hands with soap and do not touch eyes or sensitive areas." Why the label? This limited-edition beef jerky is extremely, extremely spicy (via the Country Archer website).

The Death Reaper Beef Jerky contains just one serving of beef jerky made with the Carolina Reaper, the hottest chili pepper on the planet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2017, it blazed its way to the record with over 1.6 million Scoville Heat Units on average. Chili Pepper Madness claims that the pepper's heat has reached over 2.2 million units. 

The beef jerky is so spicy and intense that it is shipped with protective gloves that you should put on before touching it. Bags are available for pre-order via the Country Archer Provisions website. They sell for $5.99.

Similar to the Paqui One Chip Challenge that tested people's heat and pain tolerance with a scorching chip made with Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers (via Amazon), Death Reaper Beef Jerky comes with a challenge for anybody brave enough to try to eat the entire serving. Per the company website, the goal is to go without eating or drinking anything else after consuming the jerky. (So if you were thinking of taking a swig of milk to dull the spice, unfortunately, you would fail the challenge.) Participants are to record their reactions throughout and post them on social media.

The Death Reaper Challenge seems to be part of a certain obsession that people around the world have with enduring spicy food. Take, for example, the chili eating festivals in China, the Philippines, and the U.K. or the Heatwave Hot Expo's spicy food competitions in Canada (which include a spicy jerky-eating contest) and the Spicy Dynamite Challenge at California's Jitlada restaurant (via Mental Floss).

Considering that spicy foods contain a chemical known as capsaicin, which triggers pain, it might come as a surprise that people choose to eat spicy food (via Everyday Health). But the pain causes a rush of endorphins — a chemical that makes us feel good — which makes us reach for more bites of tear-inducing spicy food.