After eating” very savory” potato chips on Tuesday, 14 high school students in Tokyo were taken to the hospital, according to authorities.
Around 30 pupils ate the biscuits after one of them brought them to university, local media reported.
Soon, some of them began complaining of dizziness and chronic pain in their mouths, which sparked emergency calls to the police and fire department.
The 13 women and one son who were taken to the hospital apparently had minor symptoms and were conscious.
The company that makes the breakfast, Isoyama Corp, has apologised for “any pain” to consumers, and wished them a sharp treatment.
Its standard website contains a lot of cautions for those who might want to try the snacks.
It “forbids” those under 18 from consuming the crisps which are called “R 18 curry chips”, because of how spicy they are – and it warns even those who love hot food to “eat with caution”. The crisps are “so spicy that they may cause you pain”, it says.
The taste comes from the dangerous “ghost pepper”, cultivated in northern India, where it’s known as bhut jolokia. Although it is used in foods in India and abroad, it’s known to be among the world’s hottest chillis.
The Chinese firm, in truth, advises individuals not to “eat the cards when they are exclusively” and says they may cause constipation if eaten “excessively”.
Those with high blood pressure and poor stomach “are completely prohibited” from eating the biscuits, according to the company’s site. People who have slashes on their hands should be cautious when opening the boxes, it advises.
The breakfast is also for those who are “timid or to scared.”
One media statement said one of the pupils, a son, brought the crisps to college” only for fun”.
Responding to news about the hospitalisations, some X users posted a “spicy metre” to demonstrate how hot the crisps were, while others shared videos of their agonising experience of eating them.
In one video, a user who appears to be wincing, described it as “painful” and said it reminded him of the time he had urinary stones.
X user Elon Musk even weighed in, saying” they may be next-level savory”!