The food authorities said the instant ramen contained such high capsaicin levels consumers could be poisoned.

Three fiery flavours of the Samyang instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.

Denmark’s food agency issued the recall and warning on Tuesday, urging consumers to abandon the product.

It’s unknown if any specific incidents have prompted the Danish authorities into taking action.

  • HejMedDig@feddit.dk
    341·
    2 months ago

    They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals. A consumer asked the board of food and safety if it was really allowed to sell the strong variants. They looked at them, and measured that they contained even more Capsaicin than the Hot Chip Challenge, which has caused hospitalizations in Germany. Combined with it being a TikTok/Instagram trend to try and eat them, food and safety decided to recall them

    I really like the stew ones, x3 were just dumb

    • ccunning@lemmy.world
      4·
      2 months ago

      They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals

      Is it really “poisoning” if some subset of consumers can’t eat something? Ok. It’s poisoning. Y’all really focusing on this part of my comment. We all know “the dose makes the poison” though. So “poisons” are clearly allowed to be sold as food.

      Like if some Danes are severely allergic to shellfish are they going to pull all crabs off the market?

      If it’s temporary until labeling standards can be defined and implemented, that makes sense to me but just blanket removal seems like an overreaction.

      • ggppjj@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        To the doctor treating a patient, they don’t care about the legal definition. A poisoned patient is a poisoned patient.

        Additionally, “causing symptoms of” a thing is a very different statement from “causing”. Covid causes symptoms of the flu, for example.

    • enkers@sh.itjust.works
      2·
      2 months ago

      I found the x2 were pretty tasty, but it’d be unpleasant for a few hours before the ring of fire, and that’d usually disrupt my sleep a bit, so it wasn’t worth it. I just went with the regular spice level instead. I haven’t tried the x3, but it seems like it’s getting a bit silly by that point.

    • Chee_Koala@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 months ago

      I had a 1x spicy variant from these producers and it was pretty intense but still enjoyable, and I’m used to some heat but normally try to stay below 100.000 Scoville (ish) to still have fun. I can imagine if you are used to nothing spicywise and try their 3x spicy stuff you might get poisoning. Maybe the time is ripe to have a global rating or warning label for spicy foods. Everyone always already tries to convey the spicyness-level, especially for guests/tourists and such. Why not try to make a standard for spicy warnings, you could even have region variability like in clothing labels.

  • Deceptichum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    17·
    2 months ago

    I had the (I think) black packet/hottest once and it was so boring. There’s no flavour behind the heat, very disappointing.

    • tiramichu@lemm.ee
      8·
      2 months ago

      I’ve basically decided to give up on Buldak.

      I like spicy food, generally, but I ate the black one too and it was all spice and no taste.

      I then tried one that was supposed to be cheese flavour (and not even the spicy cheese flavour, just regular normal cheese) and that was also somehow just spicy in a really boring way.

      • Kanzar@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        The pink carbo one isn’t bad. Definitely has other flavours in there, not just spicy. That said, I also don’t add the entire sachet of hot sauce…

      • WEFshill202@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 months ago

        I know right, they’re my favorite specifically because theyre not just spicy but delicious too! Especially the cheese one.

        • trashgirlfriend@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 months ago

          I’ve had a couple of the flavours and the cheese one (with an extra slice of American cheese stirred in, if you’re feeling cheesy), the classic one, and the habanero lime ones were my favourite so far.

  • cordlesslamp@lemmy.today
    163·
    2 months ago

    Never understand the appealing of extremely spicy foods. You can barely taste any flavor behind the hotness, you’re torturing yourself and causing literal harms to your intestines and guts microbes for a pack of fuckin instant noodles.

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
    152·
    2 months ago

    I tried these noodles once, and once only. They have more in common with riot control agents than with actual food, and there’s no reason to eat them other than to demonstrate toughness.

    I’m not saying Denmark is right in banning them, but they shouldn’t be sold alongside food. Perhaps keep them in a locked cabinet behind the counter, next to fireworks and such.

  • AItoothbrush@lemmy.zipEnglish
    7·
    2 months ago

    I tried the spiciest one and yeah it was insanely hot but nothing else. It was like eating noodles with capsaicin, no flavour at all.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
    126·
    2 months ago

    Dansk Fødevarestyrelse: bans product containing poisonous amounts of popular chemical

    Rest of the world: laughs at Denmark for “not being able to handle spicy food” 🙄

    Painful exposures to capsaicin-containing peppers are among the most common plant-related exposures presented to poison centers.[31] They cause burning or stinging pain to the skin and, if ingested in large amounts by adults or small amounts by children, can produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and burning diarrhea. Eye exposure produces intense tearing, pain, conjunctivitis, and blepharospasm.[32]

    Ingestion of high quantities of capsaicin can be deadly,[37] particularly in people with heart problems.[38] Even healthy young people can suffer adverse health effects like myocardial infarction after ingestion of capsaicin capsules.[39]

    • AwesomeLowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      121·
      2 months ago

      Negative reactions to capsaicin generally only happen when people who are unused to spicy foods ingest something too spicy for their level of tolerance. So yes, this is Denmark “not being able to handle spicy food”. The problem here is probably people with zero tolerance trying to eat it as a ‘challenge’.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
        57·
        2 months ago

        Negative reactions to capsaicin generally only happen when people who are unused to spicy foods ingest something too spicy for their level of tolerance

        That’s a common misconception. One that leads to many poisonings of “seasoned veterans” every year.

        So yes, this is Denmark "not being able to handle spicy food

        No, this is the Danish food agency doing their job of minimizing preventable food poisoning.

        The problem here is probably people with zero tolerance trying to eat it as a ‘challenge’.

        Again with the common misconception. No matter how many times you’ve heard people who love spicy food say that doesn’t make it true and neither does YOUR repeatedly claiming it.

  • loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works
    4·
    2 months ago

    I think these noodles may have given me diarrhea, but it’s also possible I just happened to have it for another reason. Either way I’m not in Denmark, so that wasn’t the incident.

  • cm0002@lemmy.world
    4·
    2 months ago

    So any folks out there in Denmark, feel free to send those to me…for…“disposal”

  • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 months ago

    I’ve had that one, in an import variety pack I bought in the states.

    It did not fuck around. Was good. And my tastebuds grew back eventually.