“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

As it turns out, eating fried toothpicks made of starch is not a healthy snack, health authorities have warned.

South Korea’s food ministry reportedly issued a health warning urging people not to eat fried toothpicks made of starch in a shape resembling curly fries after the practice went viral on social media.

Video clips showcased adventurous eaters consuming the deep-fried starch toothpicks with seasoning such as powdered cheese, amassing thousands of likes and shares on TikTok and Instagram, NBC News reported.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday (January 24), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety wrote: “Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat (them).”

South Korea’s food ministry reportedly issued a health warning urging people not to eat fried toothpicks

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

Image credits: 배츗츄/Naver

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

Image credits: 배츗츄/Naver

Viral videos of the toothpicks, which are meant to be sanitary products, show them being fried in oil and eaten. Food coloring has reportedly been used to impart a green hue to the toothpicks, made from sweet potato or corn starch, which are seen as being environmentally friendly and biodegradable, as per NBC news.

The toothpicks in question are often used in restaurants in South Korea, often utilized to pick up finger foods.

According to local media, an ingredient called sorbitol is used — and while it is harmless in small amounts, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammation if overconsumed, as per Sky News.

Video clips showcased adventurous eaters consuming the deep-fried starch toothpicks with seasoning such as powdered cheese

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

Image credits: 배츗츄/Naver

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

Image credits: 배츗츄/Naver

“Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat (them),” the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety warned

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

Image credits: 배츗츄/Naver

#녹말이쑤시개 먹는 제품이 아닙니다! ❌
녹말이쑤시개는 #위생용품 입니다!
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— 식품의약품안전처 (@TheMFDS) January 24, 2024

As a result of the viral trend, it’s been claimed that young children have been requesting toothpick fries as a result.

South Korea has produced many food-related trends on the internet, with the biggest known phenomenon being “mukbangs.”

You can watch a clip of the trend below:

Image credits: ABC-CBN News

A mukbang, also known as an eating show, is an online audiovisual broadcast in which a host consumes various quantities of food while interacting with the audience.

Fame and food-hungry Koreans have become famous through mukbangs, with thousands of Koreans tuning into these online broadcasts and even sending money to performers if entertained, CNBC reported back in 2015.

“Looks like sour gummy worms candy to me,” a reader argued

“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

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What do you think ?

POST

Nikki Sevven 9 months ago

Please allow Darwinism to do its job.

26points

The Original Bruno 9 months ago

These aren't tide pods. If I understand correctly, these are artificially sweetened, food-quality starch that puffs up when fried into something between a gummy worm and a cheese doodle. I'm not sure why anyone would want to, but they're also not something you'd figure on being poisonous, like Tide Pods. I'm not sure evolution wants to stamp out curiosity.

15points

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Jaya 9 months ago

It's sweet potato or corn starch, with sorbitol and food colouring. I don't know if they contain any dangerous ingredients on top of that (but you would assume they would mention them in the article, if that was the case), but those ingredients are totally fine to eat. I don't see much reason to assume Darwinism is relevant here at all.

3points

MP 9 months ago

They could already have kids. And will just get sick and probably not die. Not very Darwiny

1point

JuniorCJ82 9 months ago

IKR?

0points

Giraffy Window 9 months ago (edited)

Ok you know what? They're made of starch, they fry up exactly the same as rice noodles (SO GOOD), spring roll rice papers, and shrimp chips. Looks like food, cooks like food, marketed as made from biodegradable food ingredients. What they're made of is normally a very common item to consume, so naturally they'd give them a go. The only "inedible" thing about them is the sorbitol, and if you don't know that's an active ingredient in laxatives and as a medicinal sweetener, it really does just read like another food preservative. This is NOT Darwinism, this is poor marketing and bad package labeling.

15points

Lunaofthenest (She/they) 9 months ago

The catch is that sorbitol. As someone who ate three products, all containing sorbitol, in the same day over about 12 hours, I can tell you that they are about to realize why that's no bueno. That stuff should not be legal (ftr, it was 2 sugar free protein bars and a shake/ drink thing) and the outcome is insane amounts of painful bloating, gas and eventually, pretty impressive diarrhea.

8points

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Deborah B 9 months ago

Okay... if people want to eat this, just make some food quality starch things for them to fry, and sell them for the same price. "Don't eat that, it's bad for you" has not worked with any other junk food, so try "Those ones are toxic, these ones are safe"

10points

Der Kommissar 9 months ago

eating a starch toothpick cannot possibly be as bad as eating a real wooden toothpick

7points

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The Original Bruno 9 months ago

I'm wondering what precisely the danger is. The article could've mentioned it. Seems eating anything sharp would be dangerous, but are people eating those puffy, wormlike things and not anything in the form of a toothpick? How do they go from toothpick to puffy, wormlike things?

2points

Giraffy Window 9 months ago (edited)

They HAVE food quality starch things to fry up, and that's the reason they thought they could fry up THESE starch things. The novelty of cooking your toothpicks into a common and well-loved snack is deeply enticing. This was a marketing and labeling fail, not a general public fail.

2points

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POST

Nikki Sevven 9 months ago

Please allow Darwinism to do its job.

26points

The Original Bruno 9 months ago

15points

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Jaya 9 months ago

3points

MP 9 months ago

They could already have kids. And will just get sick and probably not die. Not very Darwiny

1point

JuniorCJ82 9 months ago

IKR?

0points

Giraffy Window 9 months ago (edited)

15points

Lunaofthenest (She/they) 9 months ago

8points

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Deborah B 9 months ago

10points

Der Kommissar 9 months ago

eating a starch toothpick cannot possibly be as bad as eating a real wooden toothpick

7points

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The Original Bruno 9 months ago

2points

Giraffy Window 9 months ago (edited)

2points

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“Please Don’t Eat Them”: South Korea Food Ministry Urges People To Stop Frying Toothpicks

South Korea’s food ministry reportedly issued a health warning urging people not to eat fried toothpicks

Video clips showcased adventurous eaters consuming the deep-fried starch toothpicks with seasoning such as powdered cheese

“Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat (them),” the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety warned

You can watch a clip of the trend below:

“Looks like sour gummy worms candy to me,” a reader argued

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