The 'R18' crisps are made using an extract from the ultra-spicy ghost pepper.
Fourteen high school students have been hospitalised after eating a box of ultra-spicy ‘rated 18’ crisps.
A first-year student at Rokugo Koka High School in Tokyo brought the ‘R18 curry chips’ to school on Tuesday, and shared them among 33 members of his class.
But the crisps soon proved too much for his classmates, and almost immediately the students began to complain of stomach aches, burning mouths and nausea.
The police were soon called after 13 girls and one boy began to feel seriously unwell, and one student was even taken away in a wheelchair.
However, the boy who brought them in told police he had previously enjoyed the snack without any side effects, and others who tried the crisps reported only mild symptoms.
The snack comes with a warning advising those under the age of 18, people with high blood pressure and a weak stomach not to consume it. It further advises consumers to not consume the entire snack by themselves, since it could cause diarrhoea, and not to handle the crisps if they have cuts on their hands.
Isoyama Corp, which makes the crisps along with a range of other extra-spicy foods, said it ‘sincerely wishes for the swift recovery of those who have reported feeling unwell’.
The company, based northeast of Tokyo, also produces a range of other ‘R18’ snacks and warns that even experienced spice-lovers ‘should proceed with caution while eating this product’.
Their products are made using the ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, a chilli pepper recognised as one of the spiciest in the world. It is 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.
Last year, an American teen died after eating a super-spicy tortilla chip as part of a viral challenge on social media.
Tenth grader Harris Wolobah, 14, died of a cardiopulmonary arrest after participating in the Pacqui ‘One Chip Challenge’, which involved eating coated in ingredients from the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper- two of the hottest peppers in the world.
The product has since been pulled from the shelves.
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