"One Chip Challenge" maker Paqui pulls product from store shelves after Worcester teen's death
WORCESTER – Paqui, the makers of the "One Chip Challenge," announced on Thursday they are removing the spicy tortilla chip from store shelves.
The decision comes six days after 14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester death. Wolobah died hours after taking the challenge. The family is waiting for a cause of death from the Massachusetts Medical Examiner's Office pending an autopsy. The results are not expected for several weeks.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and express our condolences to the family," a Paqui spokesperson told WBZ-TV. "While the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, we have seen an increase in teen usage of the product. We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves. The product's label clearly states it is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions. We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve one chip challenge product."
Earlier this week, Harris' mother, Lois Wolobah, told WBZ she picked him up from Doherty High School in Worcester Friday, September 1 after a call from the nurse's office saying he had fainted after eating the chip a friend gave him.
The challenge comes in a box with a single wrapped chip, labeled "Carolina Reaper" and "Naga Viper Pepper." His mother says he later passed out again at home, went to the emergency room, and died.
"No pre-existing condition," Amos Wolobah, Harris' father said on Tuesday. "Not to my knowledge."
The Wolobah family had been begging for the chips to be taken off store shelves. They declined comment following the company's decision.
The peppers could be too much for kids to handle says Tufts Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Dr. Lauren Rice. "They're smaller humans," Dr. Rice said. "That smaller human only needs a small bite of a chip, perhaps, or of a chemical or of a medication in order to produce this bigger effect on their body."
Wolobah's basketball coach, Douglas Hill, believes the chip company is not the only one to blame.
"Kids were going everywhere and finding these chips. They weren't ID'ing anybody. So obviously if you knew there were dangers to it and you only wanted adults to have it, why didn't we ID people before they grabbed the chip?"
Paqui issued this statement on its website.
The Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with 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. We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings. 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.
The company is offering refunds for the product. Customers can call 1-866-528-6848 to get their money back.