Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen’s death

A package of Paqui OneChipChallenge spicy tortilla chips is seen on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Boston. Authorities are raising the alarm about a OneChipChallenge social media trend that encourages people to avoid seeking relief from eating and drinking for as long as possible after eating the chips, days after a Massachusetts teenager died hours after taking part in the challenge. The dare is popular on social media sites, with scores of people including children unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and reacting to the heat. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Authorities are raising the alarm about a social media challenge in which people eat extremely spicy chips and attempt to avoid eating or drinking anything for as long as possible. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early took to the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday to encourage parents to talk to their children about the One Chip Challenge. A Massachusetts teenager died last week after his family said he ingested one of the spicy chips. Although the cause of the teen’s death has not been determined and an autopsy is pending, Paqui, The Texas-based company that makes the chips, has asked retailers to pull the product from their shelves.