"One Chip Challenge" maker Paqui pulls product from store shelves after teen's death in Massachusetts
WORCESTER, Mass. – 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 the death of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester, Massachusetts. 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.
Paqui issued a 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.
Harris' mother Lois Wolobah told CBS Boston station WBZ-TV she picked him up from Doherty High School in Worcester Friday 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.