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Food

This School Banned Doritos After a Student Said a Spicy Chip Nearly Killed Her

A North Yorkshire school has banned Doritos Roulette chips after a 14-year-old suffered an asthma attack she says was induced by the extra hot flavour. “I really thought I was going to die,” she said.
Phoebe Hurst
London, GB
Photo via Flickr user JW Capture

Being responsible for a child is a minefield of worry. First it's sharp edges, plastic bags, and busy roads, then it's Not Age Appropriate piercings and that wayward friend with a fake ID. Is it possible to leave a small human being alone for like, one second without them sustaining physical injury or turning into a Lindsay Lohan-esque nightmare spawn?

In this decidedly un-kid proof world, at least Doritos are safe. The edges on those triangles aren't sharp enough to cause bodily harm and that luminescent orange dust won't peer pressure anyone into sexting or stealing cigarettes. Excessive salt levels and potentially harmful additives aside, Doritos are basically the babysitter of the snack world.

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But following the recent ordeal of a 14-year-old in North Yorkshire, it may be time to reassess our view of Doritos as a PG chip.

READ MORE: My Doritos Locos Taco Gave Me a Boner

It all started, like many misguided snacking sessions do, when Beth Laybourn saw a television advert for Doritos Roulette. Featuring two men who sit opposite, challenging each other to eat individual crisps, the ad claims that "one chip in every handful" of the new Doritos flavour is "so spicy it may bring you to tears." Y'know, like a game of roulette.

The new crisp flavour's equally imaginative tagline is: "Eat another—if you dare."

But Beth did dare. Two weeks ago, she, her 11-year-old brother, and a friend decided to recreate the advert's game of crisp roulette. According to The Sun, the group had five turns each before Beth pulled out that forewarned, tear-inducing chip, coated with a flavouring that measures 78,000 units on the Scoville Heat Scale.

Speaking to the newspaper, the teenager recalled: "I started retching so I ran to the toilet and was sick. I had four mugs of milk and my throat still wouldn't stop burning. I couldn't breathe properly and I really thought I was going to die."

Despite being used to eating spicy curries (she's partial to a lamb bhuna, The Sun helpfully points out), Beth later suffered a severe asthma attack at her school in Scarborough, prompting staff to ban the snack altogether.

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In the school's July newsletter, a feature with the rather snappy title, "dangerous Doritos" warned parents and carers that "the new Doritos Roulette crisps are not recommended for children" and that the snack "can cause distress, particularly to those with sensitivities, allergies, or breathing problems."

READ MORE: My Szechuan Restaurant Is So Spicy That a Customer Called The Cops on Me

A spokesperson for Doritos told The Sun that they were "sorry to hear about what happened" to Beth, but stated that the Doritos Roulette packs state that the chips are not suitable for children.

For Beth's mum, Dawn, however, her kids' Dorito days are over. "I never thought it could be so dangerous to eat a crisp," she told the newspaper. "I won't ever let them do it again."

Oh Beth, why couldn't you have stuck to Cool Originals?