South Korea’s Food Ministry Warns Public Against Video of Content Creators Eating Fried Toothpick
FRIED TOOTHPICK – South Korea’s food ministry has warned the public against the dangerous social media trend.
A toothpick is a small, slender stick, usually made of wood, plastic, or bamboo, that is commonly used for removing food particles from between the teeth. It typically has a pointed end for easy insertion between teeth and a flat or rounded end for gripping.
Ancient civilizations, including the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Chinese, are known to have used various implements for dental cleaning, including sticks and porcupine quills.
Toothpicks are also used for various other purposes such as holding together sandwiches, skewering appetizers, and as a tool in crafts and DIY projects.
Over the past few months, video clips of individuals eating deep-fried starch toothpicks with seasonings such as powdered cheese have been spreading like wildfire on social media, garnering various reactions from the online community.
In the videos, numerous individuals have been seen frying toothpicks resembling curly fries. In contrast to wooden toothpicks in other countries, most toothpicks in South Korea are made out of corn or potato starch combined with sorbitol, a sweet sugar alcohol found naturally in many fruits.
These toothpicks are biodegradable and dissolve in water. They have green food coloring and are regularly used in restaurants. In viral ‘mukbang’ videos, various content creators have started frying toothpicks in oil and eating them.
South Korea’s food ministry issued a health warning against the consumption of fried toothpicks made of starch.
On Wednesday (January 24, 2024), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reported that the safety of those toothpicks has not been verified. “Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat them,” the agency said.
According to some reports, even young children who watched the video were requesting toothpick fries.
The social media users expressed their reactions to the current trend:
