'Not harmful to health': Korea's Buldak spicy noodles return to shelves as Denmark reverses recall - eviltoast

Buldak spicy noodles are back on shelves in Denmark after the food authorities there canceled part of their recall decision concerning the famous Korean instant noodles product, originally issued due to their extreme spiciness and consequent health risks.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration announced, Monday (local time), that two of the three products that had been recalled were not harmful to health, based on updated risk assessments.

“Based on the new analysis results and the DTU Food Institute’s updated risk assessment, the administration concludes that two of the products, Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy Hot Chicken and Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Stew, do not contain capsaicin levels as high as those reported by the distributors in the marketing,” the Danish administration said in a press release.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      And apparently that’s better? You’d think they’d get in trouble for the false advertising now.

      • LostXOR@fedia.io
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        5 months ago

        Better to get in trouble for false advertising than actually dangerously high capsaicin content, I suppose.

      • AwesomeLowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 months ago

        According to the report, the capsaicin levels were calculated based on the Scoville scale information disclosed on Danish retail websites selling the noodles, rather than the noodles themselves, as no specific measurements of capsaicin or total capsaicin content are provided by the manufacturer.

        False advertising by the Danish themselves.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          5 months ago

          Okay, this is the funniest possible option. It was just a circle of Danish people panicking each other over the scary spicy noodles. No actual issue was ever present by any empirical definition.

  • 0laura@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    the ban sounds like great advertising material.

    “so spicy that Denmark had to make it illegal”

    “are you stronger than the entire country of Denmark?”

    “criminally spicy”

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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      5 months ago

      When Monty Python’s The Life of Brian came out, Norway banned it. Sweden then advertised it as “the film so funny that it was banned in Norway.”

      • Drusas@kbin.run
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        5 months ago

        That’s beautiful, thank you for sharing. I’ve been a fan for ages but didn’t know that.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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          5 months ago

          No problem, it’s one of my favorite Monty Python factoids.

          For what it’s worth, the Norwegians have since made up for this issue by making a really funny TV show. And doing it in both Norwegian and English versions, which must have been an extra challenge since so much of comedy is about language and it would have been the second language for most, if not all of the people involved.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norsemen_(TV_series)

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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              5 months ago

              I love it too. I don’t know Norwegian, so I have no idea how that version works, but I am really impressed that they made a very funny English-language comedy in a country where English is, at best, someone’s second language most of the time. I realize many Norwegians speak very good English, but it’s still impressive.

    • CaptPretentious@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      You’re not wrong. My interest in that brand jumped. But reviews basically said “it’s just spicy, not great flavor”

      • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        I thought it was delicious. And that’s when trying to eat the black package, which was so spicy I very nearly threw up. But it still tasted delicious.

        • 0laura@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I tried them and really enjoyed it. it was an amazing experience. wouldn’t call it delicious tho. more comparable to skydiving than a meal.

      • weew@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Flavor’s actually not bad at all. I’ve definitely had spicy foods that are nothing but capsaicin but this one actually has taste

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      It would have been until they measured the capsaisin levels and declared it not as spicy as they were told.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Notice the ban was based on the information given by the dealers themselves.
    When the actual lab results came back it turned out to be not quite as strong as advertised.
    So I guess it’s false advertising, but that’s probably another department.

    • AwesomeLowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      According to the report, the capsaicin levels were calculated based on the Scoville scale information disclosed on Danish retail websites selling the noodles, rather than the noodles themselves, as no specific measurements of capsaicin or total capsaicin content are provided by the manufacturer.

      False advertising by the Danish themselves.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Which is why I wrote dealer, not the manufacturer.
        But where is the most likely place for the dealer to get those numbers?

          • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Maybe, but that now makes them guilty of false marketing, and Denmark is generally pretty strict about that too.

          • ulterno@lemmy.kde.social
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            5 months ago

            Yeah, they probably ate other spicier food along with the Buldak stuff, causing their excrement to have a higher amount of capsaicin, than was in the original product. Hence, the false advertising.

            CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The scoville scale is itself fairly flakey.

        Using the amount of capsaicin per unit of weight would make much more sense.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          That’s generally how SCU are measured nowadays: They’re measuring the concentration of three or four types of molecule, then weigh them according to how hot they’re perceived to be. The scale itself is very sensible: “I have a litre bottle of red sriracha, it has 3000 SCU, that means if dilute it with 3000l (3m3) of water I won’t taste any heat any more”.

    • vxx@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      However, the Danish authorities maintained the recall decision on Buldak 3x Spicy Hot Chicken, the spiciest product in the Buldak line, stating that it is still believed to be harmful to health. They cited the high capsaicin level as posing a risk to consumers developing acute poisoning upon consumption.

  • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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    5 months ago

    Wow. I had no idea the Danes were such wussies. Too spicy. Lol

    *I stand by what I said. The 2x and 3x are not very terrible on the spicy scale. The article claims the 3x is around 13,000 shu. I’m actually guessing that’s a typo/mistake and it’s supposed to be 130,000 SHU. Jalapeños are usually around 10,000 to 20,000 and the noodles are hotter than that. Serrano peppers float around 90k or so. Habanero peppers are usually 150k or more. Peppers vary wildly based on growing conditions.

      • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 months ago

        I eat them all the time, but I’m a freak of nature that uses hot sauces like mad dog 357 gold edition and da bomb on all my food. I think jalapeños to me are about as spicy to pickles for most people.

        • John_McMurray@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I’ve had to deal with people think fresh ground black pepper and Costco pickles are too intense. I generally suggest they cook at home instead.

    • barsoap@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Sriracha red is about the most you can throw at people not accustomed to spiciness before they get more than mildly uncomfortable, that is, people who actually still taste all of it, haven’t build a tolerance. That’s about 3000 scoville.

      Yes, people eat jalapenos over here. With other stuff. Habaneros? Only people eating those pure are people thinking they look cool doing it.

      Also, IMNSHO, nothing above about 10000 should be eaten without Szechuan pepper. And you can definitely start adding it as low as 2000.

    • nepenthes@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Stoned me just stared at it, delayed…

      Thanks for saying something or I’d still just think I was losing it 🤪

  • tacosplease@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The thumbnail is somehow a gif with flames over the cup, but then you click it, and the picture in the article does not have the flames.

  • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    They should have advertised it in norway as “so spicy, it had to be banned in denmark”

  • Bosht@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Man I’m all for spicy but there’s a point for me when I can’t even enjoy the flavor that just kills it. As much as I want to love them, I haven’t found a version that isn’t ‘light you life on fire’ hot.

    • weker01@feddit.de
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      5 months ago

      I like it sometimes. The temporary pain is stress relieving for me. It’s not about the flavor anymore then.

      Having done extreme spice multiple times you start to taste the flavors again btw.

      Also if it’s not your thing why would you want to love them? I don’t think anyone should need to justify not liking some food.

    • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I have the regular Buldak and use 1/4 of the sauce pouch. You get the flavor without the pointlessly high spice level.

  • antaymonkey@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    A coworker of mine introduced me to these about five or six years ago, when they could only be acquired in specialty Asian grocery stores. Now I can get them at Shaws and I fuckin love them. I’ve got three packs in my pantry at the moment. They’re best if you add microwaved chicken nuggets to them.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I actually tried a pack after seeing the previous article and recognizing them in the store. So news article marketing worked.

      They’re really spicy though. To a level where it’s no longer enjoyable. On my second pack I only added 1/3 the included sauce and it was far better. I was used to Nissin packets of Soba-chili noodles and loved those. These Buldak packs are like 4-5 times as spicy.

      • SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        They are hotter than a habenero burn. It is a slow burn though, so it’s mellow. If you aren’t used to that heat, it may be uncomfortable.

      • BehindTheBarrier@programming.dev
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        5 months ago

        Buldak is a bit too spicy for me to enjoy. But Nongshim Shin Ramyun is much better tasting, and highly recommend for those that like spicy noodles that aren’t pure fire.

  • deranger@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    Someone got the 3x spicy buldak where I work and it’s hot as fuck. I didn’t know there was a 3x version, the 2x was already hotter than I like. Still had to try it.

    • subignition@fedia.io
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      5 months ago

      I want to try 3x, but I can only find 2x around here and don’t want to pay thirty bucks for one package from a scalper on Amazon lol