This food fight is certainly spicing up.
Officials in Denmark have recalled ramen noodles manufactured by Samyang, saying a chili pepper extract included in three of its popular products could “poison consumers.”
However, the South Korean company has hit back, telling the BBC that there’s no problem with the quality of their products — and that the Danes simply can’t handle hot spice.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration announced the recall on Tuesday, citing high capsaicin levels in the three recalled instant ramen products: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.
Capsaicin is a chill pepper extract that can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and a burning sensation when ingested in extreme amounts, per Poison.org.
“If you have the products, you should discard them or return them to the store where they were purchased,” the Danish organization declared in a statement.
Samyang subsequently released a statement obtained by the BBC, which said: “We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy.
“The products are being exported globally,” the company added. “But this is the first time they have been recalled for the above reason.”
The news divided social media users, with some saying the ramen was unbearably hot.
“My wife (Thai) loves spicy food, but even she could barely handle the 3x Spicy from Samyang,” one wrote on Reddit.
However, others lambasted the food ban, with one saying: “That’s dumb, the packaging has a clear warning that it may be spicy.”
Meanwhile, several pundits poked fun at the organization and Denmark as a whole, saying it was proof the country only liked bland foods.
“I had a friend from Denmark who thought tasteless breaded shrimp with a little bit of ground pepper on it was too spicy,” one joked.
“From fearless Vikings to ‘must protect people from spicy noodle,’” another quipped. “The North has truly fallen.”
