The Danes can’t take the heat and have banned three types of Korean spicy noodles for being too spicy.
Samyang Foods, the company behind the instant noodles, said there’s no quality reason behind the recall and this is the first time their noodles have been banned in a country.
So is there really a safety concern behind these products or are the good people of Denmark just not ready for spicy foods.
Quick Summary:
It turns out, three different versions of instant ramen were recalled — Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken, and Hot Chicken Stew with the Danish food authority saying the level of spiciness was dangerous.
But the Danish government highlighted children as a reason for the recall, citing the dangers of a social media challenge where children dare each other to withstand high levels of heat from popular snacks or foods such as the South Korean brand’s well-known ‘fire’ noodles.
After assessing the products for their spice levels, it concluded that the Korean noodles are “harmful to health” because of what it says is an overly high dose of capsaicin. It actually leads to acute poisoning basically nausea vomiting GI discomfort.
Capsaicin is the naturally occurring ingredient in chili peppers that accounts for the heat in food.
Just because something’s natural doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you. Just watch my video on my Youtube channel where I talk about plant-based foods that are trying to kill you.
How Hot is Too Hot?
So, just how hot are these noodles, well the 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken ranked from 8,000 to 14,000 on the Scoville scale.
If you don’t know the Scoville scale, it’s just a measurement of how spicy something is. And of course, was created by Mr. Wilbur Scoville.
The range is similar to jalapenos and serrano chillies on the scale. There’s actually plenty of peppers much spicier than these noodles.
The Deeper Issue
To be honest, I think the real issue I think lies within social media. Not necessarily the food product.
For example, the One Chip Challenge which involves eating a single extremely spicy chip made using Carolina Reaper peppers sent five young Germans to the hospital with one of them ending up in the ICU due to a pre-existing conditions.
In the US, a 14 year old died from the One Chip Challenge due to cardiac arrest.
He did have aa congenital heart defect, but the company actually voluntarily recalled the chips after the teen’s death.
Is the Ban Justified? Were There Other Options?
So these extremely spicy foods have been causing problems for awhile, but was it the right call of the Danish food authority to ban this product.
It hasn’t been banned in any other country. It’s not a quality issue.
It’s not a microbial issue. Here’s my thoughts, so on food scientists thoughts, and what I think may have been some better alternatives.
And to me, the ban does seem a bit targeted and unjustified.
I’m quite surprised that went right to a full out ban. Why not put a bold warning on these types of products.
Make sure people understand they can cause illness and other discomfort. I think this is more of a compromise than going straight to a ban.
Or set a maximum dose of capsaicin that’s acceptable for food products and won’t harm anyone’s health. That way it’s not just going after one company.
Your covering all your bases in case new food products are released. Tell the companies what the limit is and what they need to do to sell their products in Denmark.
And my last thought is, stores still sell plenty of items that can harm kids and adults for that matter. Think about bleach, alcohol, cigarettes, junk food, I mean you name it.
I mean peanuts can be deadly for those with peanut allergies. There are so many things found in stores that if used improperly or used by a child could cause harm.
But, I’m curious to let me know your thoughts about the ban in the comments.
