Fourteen high school students in Tokyo, Japan were recently hospitalized with stomach aches, nausea, and mouth pain after sharing a bag of potato chips infused with Bhut Jolokia peppers.
On July 16, around 12:40 pm, an emergency call was made after several first-year students at Rokugo Koka High School in Tokyo’s Ota Ward started complaining of nausea, as well as stomach and mouth pain. The thirteen girls and one boy had apparently been among 33 students at the high school who had shared a bag of super-spicy potato chips infused with “Bhut Jolokia,” which was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s hottest pepper.” The students ended up at the emergency room, treated for their mild symptoms, and released later that day. Jiji Press reported that some of the students collapsed in the school infirmary because of the pain. The incident is being promoted as a cautionary tale for young students considering trying such spicy snacks.
The infamous ghost pepper-infused chips are produced by Isoyama Corp, a company based in Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture, and are clearly labeled as “18+ curry chips.” On its website, the company also warns that “people with high blood pressure or a weak stomach should never eat them,” and “eating too much can cause an upset stomach, so share it with a friend.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we wish you a speedy recovery,” Isoyama Corp said in a press release, while emphasizing that its Bhut Jolokia-infused potato chips are not meant to be eaten by people under the age of 18, because ghost peppers are about 200 times hotter than spicy Tabasco sauce. It is unclear how the students got their hands on the chips.
For an even hotter culinary experience, you may want to try these Carolina Reaper-infused tortilla chips which are so hot that they are sold in packs of one.