After being recalled because of spice levels , Korea's Samyang's Buldak instant noodles have partially returned to shelves in Denmark .
Three flavors of Samyang's Buldak instant noodles were recalled in the European country after the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration labeled the 3x Spicy Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Ramen Stew too spicy for consumption.
The decision was the result of capsaicin levels in the food — it was determined that the level of spice in a single package was too dangerous for consumption and would amount to poisoning.
Capsaicin is the chemical compound in chili peppers that makes them so spicy. One study found that the level of Capsaicin in the ramen packages amounted to the same spice level in a Paqui Carolina Reaper chip, The Korea Times reported.
The Paqui Carolina Reaper chip has been the subject of intense controversy after the "One Chip Challenge" took over TikTok and social media, resulting in injury and death to some who consumed the chip. The challenge was to consume the chip and wait for as long as possible before drinking water or milk or other substances that could dull the pain of the spiciness.
Now, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration announced on Monday that it would be allowing two of the three banned products back into the country for consumers willing and able to take the heat. The 3x Spicy Hot Chicken will not be allowed back on shelves, but the 2x Spicy Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Ramen Stew are being sold once more, NBC News reported.
The decision was reportedly made after an independent analysis by the administration and the Technical University of Denmark National Food Institute. A news release said the recall was originally made using marketing information that wasn't entirely accurate regarding the capsaicin content in the instant noodles.
After an independent review, it was determined that the 3x Spicy Hot Chicken noodles' concentration of capsaicin was somewhere between that of a jalapeño pepper and a cayenne pepper, which both have Scoville heat units (SHU) measured at 2,000 to 8,000 for the former and 30,000 to 50,000 for the latter. The 3x Spicy Hot Chicken had a measurement of 13,000 SHU.
It was also revealed that the initial recall was issued out of a fear for children who might consume the products and not be able to handle their spice level. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration reportedly received 14 reports of symptoms including abdominal pain and vomiting after consumers devoured the chili noodles, but it wasn't specified what brand or flavor of noodles it was — nor whether the cases involved children.
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The recall was met with massive blowback on social media from fans of Buldak's dishes — but other consumers went viral for highlighting the products' spice levels.
One viral TikTok posted by @skz.linoleftsock that got over 4 million likes was simply captioned, "I think we all have learned our lesson." It featured the TikToker putting a singular drop of the chilli sauce in his Buldak ramen package into the bowl of freshly heated noodles.
Another, however, took to X and wrote, "THEY JUST LEGALISED SAMYANG NOODLES IN DENMARK AGAIN." @myggelcykel wasn't the only excited one, either, or person to be upset by the recall. User @borahae_bts_dk wrote on X, "News from the land of bland food." They urged Denmark to bring the noodles back.
Samyang was clear that the Danish agency issued the recall not because of quality issues but because of spiciness levels as the Korean company, which claims to have introduced Ramen to the peninsula nation in the aftermath of the still ongoing Korean War back in the 1950s.
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