Denmark Is Recalling This South Korean Instant Ramen For Being "Too Spicy”
Denmark’s food agency announced that it is recalling three spicy ramen products by South Korean brand Samyang over health concerns.
Denmark has recalled several South Korean instant noodle products for being dangerously spicy, sparking heated online discussion.
On Tuesday, June 11, Denmark’s food agency announced that it is recalling three spicy ramen products by South Korean brand Samyang over health concerns.
The three flavors in question—Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken, and Hot Chicken Stew—are found to contain capsaicin levels “so high that they pose a risk of the consumer developing acute poisoning” after inspection, according to The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
Capsaicin is an active ingredient in chili peppers that fuels the burning feeling and could lead to nausea, abdominal pain, and high blood pressure when consumed in large doses.
Ordering retailers to remove the products from shelves and urging the public to discard or return them, it also highlighted children and teenagers in its warning as “challenges” to eat the firey noodles have been going viral on social media, according to AP.
The instant ramen line gained new-found popularity on TikTok in recent months after US rapper Cardi B posted a video of her trying it, leading to a 30% increase in Samyang’s stocks.
Samyang, one of the largest and most internationally known food manufacturers in South Korea, introduced the Buldak instant ramen line in 2012, which now exports to around 80 countries worldwide.
“We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy,” a Samyang representative told the BBC.
The company said that this was the first time its products had been recalled in any country but that they would “closely look into the local regulations” before responding to the measure.
The Danish institution’s decision has also sparked discussion online, with the Korean food industry seemingly “quite baffled” by the news and an industry expert saying that the decision “should be made meticulously as it is a highly sensitive issue for food businesses”, according to the Korea Times.
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