The parents of a teenager who died after eating a spicy potato chip have filed a lawsuit against the company that makes them.
Harris Wolobah, a 10th-grader from Worcester, Massachusetts, died last September after eating a Paqui potato chip as part of the manufacturer’s “One Chip Challenge.”
An autopsy found that Wolobah, who had an underlying health condition, suffered cardiac arrest brought on by high levels of hot chili extract in the chip.
The family is suing Paqui along with its parent company, Hershey, while Walgreens is also accused of wrongdoing for selling the chip to children. The family has declined to say whether they are seeking monetary damages.
Harris Wolobah, 14, died hours after eating a spicy tortilla chip as part of the ‘One Chip Challenge,’ a social media trend that has garnered billions of views on TikTok. The Massachusetts teen was a talented athlete, described by his family as ‘a light that lit up the room.’
The 2023 edition of the ‘One Chip Challenges’ features a tortilla chip flavoured with two of the hottest peppers possible, the California Reaper pepper and the Naga Viper pepper. The California Reaper is ranked as the hottest pepper in the world.
Paqui expressed sadness at Wolobah’s death, but also cited the chip’s “clear and prominent labeling that highlights that the product is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions.”
The chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box with a warning that it was intended for “the vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain.”
The warning stated that the chip was for adult consumption only and should be kept out of the reach of children.
Despite the warning, there were reports from across the country of teenagers becoming ill after taking part in the potato chip eating challenge.
They included three California high school students who were taken to a hospital and seven Minnesota students who were treated by paramedics after participating in the challenge in 2022.
The challenge was for participants to eat the Paqui chip and then see how long they could last without consuming other foods or water.
Sales of the chip appeared to be largely driven by people posting videos on social media of themselves or their friends taking up the challenge.
The videos show people, including children, opening the wrapper, eating the chips and then reacting to the heat. Some videos show people gagging, coughing and asking for water.
Harris’ death prompted warnings from Massachusetts authorities and doctors that eating such spicy foods can have unintended consequences.
Paqui, the chip’s manufacturer, encourages people to test their physical limits. Those who can endure the burning pain for an hour without eating or drinking will earn the title of “Supreme Predator.”
Since the potato chip craze emerged, poison control centers have warned that the concentrated amount could cause allergic reactions, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeats and even heart attacks or strokes.
Harris’ mother said she received a call from the Doherty Middle School nurse on Sept. 14 last year saying her son had fainted after eating a potato chip given to him by his friend.
After being sent home, Harris fainted again and was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Autopsy results released in May concluded that Harris died of cardiac arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of a food substance with a high concentration of capsaicin.”
The medical examiner also found that Harris had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect that neither he nor his parents knew about.
Harris said he was in good health and loved playing basketball, with dreams of playing in the NBA.
The new lawsuit claims the amount of capsaicin (the chemical that gives chiles their heat) in the chip was hundreds of times hotter than that in a jalapeno.