One Chip Challenge: What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know

Eating spicy foods is nothing new for kids, but the Paqui One Chip Challenge takes the snack one step further as a viral social media trend.

Many view it as a fun way to experiment with spicy food and prove to their friends how tough they are. Unfortunately, this challenge has proven to have significantly dangerous, and even fatal, side effects and now the company is pulling the product from stores.    

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Parent & educator training video

What is the One Chip Challenge?

• The One Chip Challenge is a social media food challenge sponsored by the tortilla chip brand, Paqui  
• Participants are challenged to eat the extremely spicy tortilla chip and then wait as long as they can before eating or drinking anything and then post their reaction on social media with #onechipchallenge
• The chip’s ingredients include two of the spiciest chili peppers in the world: the Carolina Reaper and the Scorpion pepper
• The Carolina Reaper pepper ranks over 2 million SHU (Scoville Heat Units) 
• The Scorpion Pepper ranks over 1.2 million SHU
• For comparison, a jalapeno usually falls in the 2,000-8,000 SHU range and Tabasco Hot  is about 30,000-50,000 SHU
• The chip can be purchased in retail stores and online on Amazon. The company announced that they are pulling the chips from stores, but they may still be available to find.
• Amplify Snack Brands, Inc. introduced the product and the One Chip Challenge in 2016

One Chip Challenge in the news

The tortilla chip company that challenged consumers to eat a single chip made with two of the hottest peppers in the world is pulling the product from retail shelves. The move followed the death of a teenager whose family said he had died after consuming the chip. - The New York Times

Well, over the past year, there have already been reports of kids suffering all sorts of bad effects and even being hospitalized after trying this challenge. And on September 1, Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Massachusetts, tragically died soon after partaking in this challenge. - Forbes

At least nine students from Lodi High School did the challenge and got sick. Three of the students were sent to the hospital….'A lot of kids follow their peers, even if they don’t know what it is. They don’t know the consequence,’ a mother said.

WDBJ7

‍Why should parents & educators care?

• Students may feel peer pressure to participate in the Paqui One Chip Challenge
• Despite the hot peppers already in the chips, students may be tempted to take it further and add additional ingredients to the chip making it unsafe for consumption
• Some of the side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or mouth and throat pain which could lead to hospitalization
• Students could have food allergies or underlying health conditions that could be affected by participating in the One Chip Challenge
• The chips include a very serious warning label on each package:

What can parents & educators do?

• Talk with your student about participating in the One Chip Challenge and the possible negative side effects of eating food with high spice ratings, especially if they have pre-existing medical conditions
• Have a conversation with your student about peer pressure on social media and why they want to participate in this challenge. Also, discuss ways to report or block bullying if they feel pressured to partake in dangerous challenges
• Remind students that social media posts don’t always share the negative, after-effects of a challenge

Conclusion

Social media challenges seem to be here for the long haul for students using apps such as TikTok. The One Chip Challenge can sound like a fun way to challenge your friends, but it can become dangerous for some, even resulting in death. Parents should talk to their students about the dangers of participating in social media challenges.

MomTalk podcast with Beth and Andrea discussing the One Chip Challenge