Spicy Noodles with Meat, a popular Korean dish - Danish recall of Korean instant noodles: due to excessive spiciness
The Danish Food Authority has issued a recall for Instruction-Buldak Noodles from South Korea due to excessive capsaicin content. Affected products include "Samyang Buldak 3 x Spicy & Hot Chicken," "2 x Spicy & Hot Chicken," and "Hot Chicken Stew." The authority warned they may cause acute poisoning.
A concerned consumer questioned the legality of selling Samyang-Buldak-Noodles in Denmark. The Danish Technical University (DTU) reviewed the products, confirming they pose a health risk.
Buldak Noodles' TikTok challenge turns dangerous
The head of the food authority, Henrik Dammand Nielsen, elaborated: "The spicy chili amount in the investigated noodles exceeds that found in German chili chips associated with child poisonings. Hence, parents should be mindful of these heavily spiced variants."
The popular noodles, promoted as "extremely spicy," were primarily challenging youngsters on TikTok and Instagram. The Food Authority noted that while there's no alarm for children without symptoms, parents should contact the poison control center if any appear.
The hazards of excessive spiciness
Capsaicin, an alkaloid from the pepper Capsicum, is one of the world's spiciest compounds. It's also used in medicine to alleviate nerve pain, muscle issues, or circulatory problems due to its blood vessel-dilating properties.
However, high capsaicin levels can lead to mucous membrane irritation, nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure. Children and fragile individuals are particularly vulnerable. Nielsen cautioned.
The "Buldak Ramen 2X Spicy" has a Scoville rating of 10,000, and the "3X Spicy Buldak Chicken Noodle" has 13,000. The Scoville scale gauges capsaicin concentration in peppers. A Jalapeno pepper, for instance, has a Scoville range of 4,000 to 8,000.
The manufacturer, Samyang Foods, was unaware of the Danish recall, said the "Korea Times." Samyang plans to review the Danish regulations, making it the first time the company has faced such an issue with its "Buldak Instant Noodles," launched in 2012 and becoming globally renowned since then. Even being exported to the US and Southeast Asia.
In 2021, the noodles faced a recall in Mexico, not due to their spiciness but because they lacked advertised chicken meat. [Markdown]
Capsaicin health risks
- Mucous membrane irritation
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- High blood pressure
Audience vulnerable to capsaicin poisoning
- Children
- Fragile individuals
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The Danish Food Authority's recall includes "2 x Spicy & Hot Chicken" and "Hot Chicken Stew" from South Korea, as they contain excessive amounts of capsaicin, similar to spicy chili chips in Germany that have led to child poisonings.
Despite being popular among young TikTok and Instagram users, the "Buldak Noodles" might pose a health risk to children and fragile individuals due to their high capsaicin levels, which can cause mucous membrane irritation, nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure.
The Danish recall of Buldak Noodles is not the first instance of concerns regarding these Korean instant noodles; they were also recalled in Mexico in 2021, not due to spiciness, but for lacking advertised chicken meat.
