Paqui voluntarily removing One Chip Challenge product
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Tortilla chip brand Paqui says it is voluntarily removing its ultra-spicy “One Chip Challenge” from shelves after a Massachusetts family claims their 14-year-old son may have died from complications from the challenge.

Authorities have not confirmed or commented on whether the teen’s death was caused by eating the chips. A request for comment was not responded to by Paqui.

Paqui’s website says the “challenge” chip contains seasoning from Carolina Reaper Peppers and Naga Vipers. To participate in the challenge, participants must eat a spicy chip sold in coffin-shaped packaging, which turns their tongues blue.

The Scoville scale measures a pepper’s spiciness, and a Carolina Reaper Pepper has around 1.7 million units. Approximately 1.4 million Naga Vipers exist, according to the website. On the Scoville scale, a jalapeo pepper has an average heat level of 3,500 to 8,000.

In Massachusetts, the Worcester Police Department responded to a medical call on September 1, when 14-year-old Harris Wolobah was found unresponsive and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

On Friday, Lois Wolobah received a phone call from the nurse’s office saying her son had fainted after eating a chip his friend gave him. He passed out again at home, and later died in the emergency room, Lois said.