Pacqui’s One Chip Challenge pulled from store shelves in light of teen fatality
Paqui / GoFundMePacqui has pulled its One Chip Challenge from store shelves following the death of a Massachusetts teenager who had ingested one of the spicy chips as part of a viral TikTok trend.
On September 1, 14-year-old Harris Wolobah was hospitalized after losing consciousness in his family home. He was later pronounced dead, with his family suspecting “complications” from Pacqui’s One Chip Challenge.
According to Harris’ mother, Lois Walobah, the Massachusetts teen had left school earlier that same day after ingesting the chip and reporting a bad stomach ache to the school nurse.
Following the tragic death, Paqui has now decided to voluntarily remove its product from store shelves. This comes after what the company claims is an “increase in teen usage of the product”, despite the chip being “intended for adults only”.
“We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves,” a spokesperson for Paqui first told NBC News before the statement was shared across social media. “We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve One Chip Challenge product.”
A statement on the company’s website said that the chips’ packaging has “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.”
Despite this, Paqui claims to have seen an “increase in teens and other individuals not heeding the warnings on the packaging.”
The company said, “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 product from shelves.”
PaquiIn the meantime, an autopsy is still pending to determine Harris’ cause of death. Tashia Roberts, the teen’s cousin, has set up a GoFundMe to help “alleviate the burden of funeral expenses.”
At the time of this writing, the fundraiser has already surpassed its goal of $30,000 and is currently at $33,425.
The page encourages people to seek medical attention if they experience complications like difficulty breathing, fainting, or ‘extended nausea’.
