Samyang: Denmark recalls Korean ramen for being too spicy

Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 218 points – Samyang: Denmark recalls Korean ramen for being too spicy
bbc.com

Three fiery flavours of the Samyang instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.

Denmark's food agency issued the recall and warning on Tuesday, urging consumers to abandon the product.

It's unknown if any specific incidents have prompted the Danish authorities into taking action.

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They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals. A consumer asked the board of food and safety if it was really allowed to sell the strong variants. They looked at them, and measured that they contained even more Capsaicin than the Hot Chip Challenge, which has caused hospitalizations in Germany. Combined with it being a TikTok/Instagram trend to try and eat them, food and safety decided to recall them

I really like the stew ones, x3 were just dumb

They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals

Is it really “poisoning” if some subset of consumers can’t eat something? Ok. It’s poisoning. Y’all really focusing on this part of my comment. We all know “the dose makes the poison” though. So “poisons” are clearly allowed to be sold as food.

Like if some Danes are severely allergic to shellfish are they going to pull all crabs off the market?

If it’s temporary until labeling standards can be defined and implemented, that makes sense to me but just blanket removal seems like an overreaction.

To the doctor treating a patient, they don't care about the legal definition. A poisoned patient is a poisoned patient.

Additionally, "causing symptoms of" a thing is a very different statement from "causing". Covid causes symptoms of the flu, for example.

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If it causes you to get nauseous and throw up, I would call it poisoning

If I eat a kilo of cheese and puke, can we ban cheese from the market?

If that kilo of cheese were artificially somehow shrunk down to a single serving and marketed to cheese enthusiasts as "the cheesy challenge"... Maybe?

You would still have some kind of poisoning if you're lactose intolerant, importantly.

I think my own point is that someone showing symptoms of poisoning in this context is valid, even if banning a super-spicy food is a heavy-handed reaction to what would probably be better solved with better labelling and in an extreme case age restriction.

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I had a 1x spicy variant from these producers and it was pretty intense but still enjoyable, and I'm used to some heat but normally try to stay below 100.000 Scoville (ish) to still have fun. I can imagine if you are used to nothing spicywise and try their 3x spicy stuff you might get poisoning. Maybe the time is ripe to have a global rating or warning label for spicy foods. Everyone always already tries to convey the spicyness-level, especially for guests/tourists and such. Why not try to make a standard for spicy warnings, you could even have region variability like in clothing labels.

I found the x2 were pretty tasty, but it'd be unpleasant for a few hours before the ring of fire, and that'd usually disrupt my sleep a bit, so it wasn't worth it. I just went with the regular spice level instead. I haven't tried the x3, but it seems like it's getting a bit silly by that point.

I quite like the originals. While I'm big fan of spicy stuff (I get one level down from maximum spicy at a local Indian place), I tried x2 and saw a glimmer of what people might like about it, but it was a step too far for me, where it lost flavor for the sake of spiciness. x3 has got to be straight battery acid. I don't know how any human can buy those saying "Yep, this is the level I enjoy."

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This is like the best advertisement ever for the brand. Like they get the infamy without killing someone, basically became certified cool like the warning sticker on music albums in the 90s

I tried these noodles once, and once only. They have more in common with riot control agents than with actual food, and there’s no reason to eat them other than to demonstrate toughness.

I’m not saying Denmark is right in banning them, but they shouldn’t be sold alongside food. Perhaps keep them in a locked cabinet behind the counter, next to fireworks and such.

Unless it is demonstrated to be genuinely dangerous, it should be sold as normal. If no one liked them, they wouldn't sell.

https://feddit.dk/comment/8769989

Turns out they were demonstrated

Ok, then I agree it shouldn't be sold anywhere.

Let's ban peanuts, shrimp and milk too, some people will also get poisoning symptoms from them too.

Usually children know when they are sensitive to those things and can avoid them pretty well. How should a child know they are more sensitive than others to potential negative effects of capsaicin?Also, this brand of spicy ramen will be a lot easier to get rid of than literally everyone that produces peanuts, milk, and shrimp.

Maybe we could find a way to test kids and see if they are susceptible, and then coach them to avoid this ramen at all costs, but that's a lot more work than simply recalling the product that is poisoning children.

I tried them too recently and I really like spicy food, but they were just nasty.

The regular ones are one of my favorite ramen packet brands. I've never tried the 2x or 3x spicy types. I could see 2x being good because you definitely build up a tolerance and I find the normal ones don't quite give the same kick anymore. 3x seems excessive but who knows.

I was inspired to eat one now (different flavor so probably not as spicy). The spice is fine but the noodles are gross. I think I'm just going to use the flavor packets with Top or Maruchan ramen.

Frozen tteokbokki takes slightly longer to make, but is worth a few extra minutes.

I like the Ktown Mad Spicy as a pretty consistent go-to. You can make your own and go even hotter, but of course less convenient than frozen.

+1 for Ktown Mad Spicy.

However I must point out they are not rice cakes, but wheat cakes. Also, tteokbokki benefits a lot from having some cabbage and onion mixed into it... delicious!

You can buy the spicy sauce in a bottle, I have one in the fridge and throw it on my rice regularly. I like the noodles personally (not the carbonara flavor that seems to be popular now, it's not for me). Maybe Korean style ramyun is just not your thing.

My partner loves these and can't understand how I find them painfully spicy. Like sure there's some enjoyment to be had while slurping away, but as soon as I'm done the wheel of pain starts to turn and my body rebels against the assault with every cell seemingly screaming in unison

I suppose it's my own fault. I mean look at the packaging: that's a warning

I don’t even find them that spicy but they fuck my butthole and accessories up.

Yup. I mentally prepare myself for the oncoming battle with death over the porcelain throne every time I decide to indulge in demon ramen. I've made peace with this part of my life.

Oh, no! Send it to me, I'll take care of it.

I say this having just finished a big bowl of noodles, pork, onions, carrots, and cabbage doused in sriracha

You might have a high spice tolerance, I don't know, but if you are exemplifying Sriracha as an example, I would suggest caution. Korean spicy food doesn't play when it says things like "2x heat!" on the package.

Sriracha is about 2200SHU, the recalled noodles are 10,000SHU.

If you enjoy Korean red paste, it's a good heat, but some people don't quite know what they are getting into. If you're used to eating 100k or 200k SHU stuff, go for it, but I know there's a lot of tolerance variation from 2k to 200k people.

SHU is weird anyway. I've tried toothpick drops of the Source (7.1m) and it wasn't all that bad, but a good chili oil will fuck me. There are a lot of variables. How it coats your mouth and what you're having with it matters a lot, too.

It's true that it's an imperfect measurement, but it is the closest to a useful illustration that I have.

I'm trying to avoid the whole one upping thing while just warning that if Sriracha is given an example of peak spicy, I'd caution to start slow on Korean hot foods that are labeled with extreme packaging. Not saying don't try, but small bites to check instead of diving in.

That's very fair. Small bites, and don't hesitate to dress it up to see if it can be made to suit. There are prolly thousands of videos on adding stuff to noodles, and some will lessen the heat.

Sriracha is pretty tame IMO, but I appreciate the well informed warning (other people reading this might too).

Never understand the appealing of extremely spicy foods. You can barely taste any flavor behind the hotness, you're torturing yourself and causing literal harms to your intestines and guts microbes for a pack of fuckin instant noodles.

a pain tolerance builds up fast and people like the endorphin high that comes with the intense heat.

Saw a guy on YT eating hot wings with some sauce that's rated like a million scoville, then the dude wipe his tear with his hands.

Poor dude, but the endorphins must have felt great.

Are you able to parse the difference between people who eat hot food because they enjoy it, and people who don't normally eat hot food being fed extremely hot food for YouTube clicks?

I've tried so many spicy things and I have the same thoughts. The hottest thing that still retains flavors, imo, is a habanero. I've tried tons of peppers and the sauces featured on Hot Ones and, yeah they are certainly hot; but there's not really any nuance and anything you put them on will taste entirely like the sauce. Even with just a dab.

My ex could barely taste the heat so they loved everything crazy hot by normal standards.

Not everyone has extreme reactions to it.

It's a dick measuring thing.

Is anyone who enjoys something that you don't measuring their dick, or does it have something to do with the inherent double entendre related to noodles?

I mean, when I eat spicy things I'm not even thinking about my genitals; I'm enjoying my food.

I never said I don't enjoy spicy food. But it's so obviously a dick measuring contest for most people. No one talks about how much salt they can "handle", no one makes fun of people for not being able to stomach a really sweet energy drink. But with capsaicin it's so prevalent, it's a whole subculture dedicated to pissing in a line. I mean this whole thread is only popular because the initial proposed underlying thought is "haha, Denmark can't handle spice". It's all very juvenile.

It also clashes a bit with how I understand enjoying food. I get that you can maybe build up a tolerance to capsaicin that's different to a "sugar tolerance", but typically I don't go for the food with the most sweet flavor or the most smoky flavor just because I like those specific flavors. Why, following a similar logic there would be a smoked food challenge where people eat fucking charcoal, no?

me, looking down at my pants Ohhhhh, so that's why I've never felt the need to do any of that, I eat my noodles normally and I drive a subcompact, if you know what I mean. ;)

Dansk Fødevarestyrelse: bans product containing poisonous amounts of popular chemical

Rest of the world: laughs at Denmark for "not being able to handle spicy food" 🙄

Painful exposures to capsaicin-containing peppers are among the most common plant-related exposures presented to poison centers.[31] They cause burning or stinging pain to the skin and, if ingested in large amounts by adults or small amounts by children, can produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and burning diarrhea. Eye exposure produces intense tearing, pain, conjunctivitis, and blepharospasm.[32]

Ingestion of high quantities of capsaicin can be deadly,[37] particularly in people with heart problems.[38] Even healthy young people can suffer adverse health effects like myocardial infarction after ingestion of capsaicin capsules.[39]

Negative reactions to capsaicin generally only happen when people who are unused to spicy foods ingest something too spicy for their level of tolerance. So yes, this is Denmark "not being able to handle spicy food". The problem here is probably people with zero tolerance trying to eat it as a 'challenge'.

Negative reactions to capsaicin generally only happen when people who are unused to spicy foods ingest something too spicy for their level of tolerance

That's a common misconception. One that leads to many poisonings of "seasoned veterans" every year.

So yes, this is Denmark "not being able to handle spicy food

No, this is the Danish food agency doing their job of minimizing preventable food poisoning.

The problem here is probably people with zero tolerance trying to eat it as a 'challenge'.

Again with the common misconception. No matter how many times you've heard people who love spicy food say that doesn't make it true and neither does YOUR repeatedly claiming it.

I tried the spiciest one and yeah it was insanely hot but nothing else. It was like eating noodles with capsaicin, no flavour at all.

You dont eat spicy ramen for the flavour, you eat it because you have a head cold and want to clear out your sinuses.

This stuff is not that spicy. I mean, yeah, it's a lot hotter than most hot foods, but if you're worried about being "poisoned", this ain't it. You'd need to just be eating lots of straight seasoning packets, and you'll probably poison yourself with salt well before ingesting a health-threatening amount of chili pepper...

So any folks out there in Denmark, feel free to send those to me...for..."disposal"

From the Buldak flavors I’ve tried, I’d be much more worried about the sodium levels than capsaicin. Instant noodles commonly contain more than half of your daily recommended maximum salt intake in a single packet.

I’ve really enjoyed the flavors I’ve tried so far, but do consider them an unhealthy snack and eat no more than one per week.

Yep they'll be bad on sodium, though overall in terms of calories etc they're not the worst thing ever.

Here I can find cups with healthy stuff in them instead, pasta, lentils, etc, so it's possible to keep the convenience and substitute with healthier alternatives.

I’ve had that one, in an import variety pack I bought in the states.

It did not fuck around. Was good. And my tastebuds grew back eventually.

I think these noodles may have given me diarrhea, but it's also possible I just happened to have it for another reason. Either way I'm not in Denmark, so that wasn't the incident.

My wife has a trunk full of these and has one for lunch every weekday.

Pretty sure I had some of the 3x last week, though I didn't finish them. They were pretty spicy yes but also they just didn't taste very nice, it didn't seem worth it.

I have tried it, I don't think it's dangerous, it's just too spicy for me.

Samyang noodles are okay, I just add a bit more water than specified on the packaging.

Beware that you need to boil the noodles for 3 minutes, they are not instant.

Lol that's funny. I mean my stomach can't handle capsaicin but that's by body's fault, not the food's.