Denmark recalls some Korean ramen noodles deemed too spicy

Denmark's food safety agency has issued recalls for three ramen noodle products made by the South Korean company Samyang, saying the amount of capsaicin chili extract in them could poison consumers.

The agency announced the recall, in a post on its website, of three instant ramen flavors: Hot Chicken Stew, Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken and 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken. The agency said the products should be returned to the store where they were purchased or disposed of.

"We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality, but because they were too spicy," Samyang said in a statement to CBS News partner network BBC News. "The products are being exported globally. But this is the first time they have been recalled for the above reason."

In a statement, Denmark's Veterinary and Food Administration said that children and young people were challenging one another on social media to eat extremely spicy bowls of ramen, and that in Germany, several children had been hospitalized after being poisoned from eating extremely spicy chips.

After a member of the public asked the agency about the safety of the extremely spicy ramen products, the agency said it found that the amount of hot chilli in the ramen was even higher than in the chilli chips that had caused the poisonings in Germany.

"Chili in large quantities poses a risk to children and frail adults in particular. Possible symptoms include burning and discomfort, nausea, vomiting and high blood pressure. That is why we are now demanding that the shops remove the products from their shelves," Henrik Dammand Nielsen from the Danish Food and Drug Administration said.

In its recall announcement, the agency said that if a child has eaten strong chili peppers with no acute reaction, there is no cause for concern, but if they show an acute reaction shortly after having eaten the products, parents can call Denmark's national poison hotline.

Samyang told the BBC it planned to "closely look into the local regulations" in Denmark.

Haley Ott

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.

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