Denmark recalls 3 types of Buldak ramyeon for extreme spiciness

Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Ramen 3x Spicy (Samyang Roundsquare)

The Danish government has recalled three types of spicy ramyeon Buldak products made by the Korean manufacturer Samyang Roundsquare simply because they are too spicy.

On Tuesday, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, ordered a recall of three types of Buldak Spicy Noodles, citing a risk of acute poisoning due to high levels of capsaicin in the products.

The food safety agency stated, “The total levels of capsaicin in a single pack of all three noodle products are so high that they pose a risk of acute poisoning for consumers,” on its website.

The impacted products include Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Ramen 3x Spicy, Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Ramen 2x Spicy and Samyang Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Stew Type.

Except for these three products, other products such as the original Spicy Chicken Flavor Noodle, Buldak Carbonara Ramen and Buldak Cheese Ramen are still available.

Samyang Roundsquare said that it is currently in discussions with the Danish government, as the government did not specify the exact reason for the recall, such as the allowable amount of capsaicin or any other quality issues. The company confirmed its commitment to cooperate to protect Danish consumers.

"It seems that the Danish food authorities have initiated the recall due to concerns over excessive spiciness potentially causing health issues, rather than any quality defects in the product," said a Samyang official. "We plan to closely examine the Danish regulations and respond to the recall accordingly."

This marks the first recall due to spiciness for the globally popular instant noodles, the official added.

The Buldak series has been gaining traction overseas for its extreme spiciness, with the original series measuring 8,706 Scoville Heat Units. Scoville Heat Units represent the number of times the concentration of capsaicinoids needs to be diluted before it's no longer detectable. For instance, a jalapeno pepper is measured at 2,000-8,000 SHUs, which means it would need to be diluted 2,000-8,000 times.

By Hwang Joo-young(flylikekite@heraldcorp.com)