‘Fun Goes Wrong’: Tokyo Students Hospitalised After Eating Super-Spicy Bhut Jolokia Potato Chips

In recent news coming from Tokyo, China, fourteen high school students are hospitalised after eating the spiciest potato chips, made from the Bhut Jolokia, a type of spicy chilli which is cultivated in Northeastern India. According to the sources, one of the students brought the chips to the school “just for fun”. Moreover, the packet of chips has a warning which says that the product is not suitable for people under the age of 18.

Approximately 30 students tried the R 18+ curry chips, and 14 of them, including 13 girls and a boy, were hospitalised on July 16, as reported by the BBC. One of the students feel so ill that they had to be transported to the hospital in a wheelchair, according to a report in The Independent.

Bhut Jolokia, also known as Raja Mirchi or King Chilli, is one of the hottest chilli peppers in the world. It is also popular as Naga Jolokia, Ghost Pepper, and Ghost Chilli Pepper. After eating the chips, the students began complaining of nausea and severe mouth pain, prompting emergency calls to the fire department and police.

The company that makes the snack, Isoyama Corp, issued a statement apologising for "any inconvenience" to customers and wishing the students a swift recovery. The company's website is full of warnings about the crisps, called "R 18+ curry chips". The crisps are "so spicy that they may cause you pain", it says.

BHUT JOLOKIA CHIPS WASN'T MEANT FOR UNDER-18 PEOPLE

The product "forbids" those under 18 from consuming the crisps and warns even spicy food lovers to "eat with caution".

The spiciness comes from the potent ghost pepper, known as Bhut Jolokia, which is among the world's hottest chillies. Bhut Jolokia was recognised as the world's hottest chilli pepper by Guinness World Records from 2007 to 2011. Bhut Jolokia, also known as Ghost Pepper, is one of the hottest chilli peppers globally. This chilli from North Eastern India marks a whopping million units on the Scoville scale, the international scale for the hottest chillies. 

Isoyama Corp advises people not to "eat the chips when they are alone" and warns they could cause diarrhoea if eaten excessively. The company also states that those with high blood pressure and weak stomachs are "absolutely prohibited" from eating the crisps and advises caution for those with cuts on their fingers when opening the packets.