Some customers regret not “having had time to test”, while others are grateful for “a wise decision”. The Auchan B’Est hypermarket in Farébersviller on the Moselle announced on Monday that it would stop selling the “Hot Chip Challenge”. Presented as “the spiciest fries in the world” and the subject of a challenge on social networks, it had been on its shelves for fifteen days.
Contacted by BFMTV.com, the director of the hypermarket, François Rodriguez, “fully accepts” this decision made “like a father.” “He encouraged young people to do stupid things”, he defends, referring to the #OneChipChallenge born at the end of 2022 on the Internet and broadcast in particular on Tiktok.
a dangerous challenge
This challenge, which was aimed at keeping these very spicy fries in your mouth for as long as possible, quickly turned out to be dangerous. In the United States, several adolescents have been hospitalized after ingesting a piece of this chip, described as “the strongest in the world” by the brand that sells it.
Until now, the “Hot Chip Challenge” was only sold online, at about ten euros per package. But 15 days ago, American fries were found on the shelves of the hypermarket in the small town of Moselle, as previously reported by our colleagues from republican Lorraine, after being sorted “out of ignorance” by the rack teams.
A decision that François Rodriguez “sincerely” regrets today. He indicates having sold several boxes (the equivalent of 50 to one hundred packages), that is, the entire stock received. However, a warning sign was placed next to it.
“A Preemptive Decision”
Today, the product will not be recommended. “It is a preventive decision. I have teenagers at home, and I saw the enthusiasm it generated. But it’s not something I approve of. I have a capital conscience, I’d rather fine a product than run the risk of customers getting sick”, confesses the manager, who also believes that these chips “have no flavour”.
Beneath the Facebook post announcing it, customers are shared. In the comments, some regret not having been able to buy them on time or do not see the problem of marketing such a product. “I think everyone knows how to read and therefore knows what to expect,” Élodie, a 33-year-old internet user, angrily, interviewed by BFMTV.com. Others, on the contrary, greet “a wise decision”, without forgetting to put up the sign: “What an idea to have put them up for sale anyway!”.
Interviewed by France Info in January, Magali Labadie, head of the poison control and toxicology center at Bordeaux University Hospital, recalled the risks associated with consuming these spicy chips. “First a local risk, meaning having irritation and an intense burning sensation,” she warned. The specialist warns of possible “digestive signs”, “which can still be significant and when you have such intense pain it can even go as far as vagal discomfort.” Not to mention possible allergic reactions.
Source: BFM TV
