Food - News
The Hot-Chip Challenge Schools Are Banning Left And Right
By ELAINA FRIEDMAN
Paqui Tortilla Chips claims to make the spiciest chips in America, if not the world. Paqui's claim to fame is its One Chip Challenge: a recurring feat that dares bold snackers to eat an individual chip made with the world's hottest new pepper, the Carolina Reaper, and the volcanically hot Scorpion Pepper.
In early 2022, Newsweek reported that three California high schoolers were hospitalized after attempting Paqui's One Chip Challenge. "Each student who has taken part has had a similar reaction, struggling to breathe and catch their breath," the school's principal told the publication, adding that other students were sent home or to the ER after "vomiting on themselves."
Several school districts are now banning students from participating in the challenge to avoid further hospitalizations. Pediatrician Brett Christiansen warned that accidental inhalation of the spice found in the chip could lead to bronchospasm or trigger asthma attacks. Paqui's challenge boxes warn that the chip shouldn’t be consumed by "minors" or "individuals who are sensitive to spicy foods.”