25 February 2024 , 07:18
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A TikTok trend prompted a health warning not to eat green fried toothpicks.
The food ministry in South Korea urged people to not to eat the items after social media users started sharing videos of them swallowing them. After they are deep fried the picks, made of sweet potato or corn starch, look like jade-coloured, skinny curly fries. People eating them garnered thousands of likes with others sharing the videos on social media.
The short videos clips show the toothpicks being cooked in oil before being covered in seasoning including powdered cheese.
The South Korean food ministry was concerned over health issuesOne TikTok user posted: "It's very crispy."
But the ministry of food and drug safety urged people not to eat them and said their "safety as food has not been verified" It added: "Please do not eat [them]."
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The toothpicks are are seen as environmentally friendly and biodegradable and are found on tables in Korean restaurants. They can also be used to spike and pick up finger food.
Food colouring gives the toothpicks a green hue and an ingredient called sorbitol is used, according to local media. This is harmless when eaten in little amounts, but if it is over-eaten it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and inflammation.
Shows such as one programme called Mukbang, are popular in South Korea and often show people eating massive amounts of food or strange dishes. People have claimed youngsters have also been asking for toothpick fries after the social media trend.
The green toothpicks which have caused a virtual hit (Twitter)It us not the first time that there has been unusual foods come out of the country. The government tried to stop these shows because they were worried people may eat too much and harm their health, according to Time Magazine.
But after people complained, no restrictions were put on the shows.
The Mirror reported how young South Koreans were involved in a 'dinner porn' craze that is sweeping the internet. Called mok-bang, a combination of the Korean words for eating and broadcast, the videos show people live-streaming themselves eating their meals.
Some of them are even making thousands of dollars per broadcast as users pay to watch them stuff themselves.
One of the most successful stars is an attractive, small-boned woman known as The Diva, who broadcasts up to two hour long broadcasts on Korean video streaming website Afreeca where she talks to viewers about her dinner.
She gets paid thousands of dollars in virtual currency by viewers eager to see her gorge.
Other incidents have happened where health professionals warned people against rubbing castor oil on their eyes and insisted it is not an effective treatment for dryness, cataracts or poor vision despite what viral videos claimed.
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Piling mounds of noodles, tempura and sticky pork ribs into her mouth, she can consume thousands of calories in one sitting, but earns the same amount from her devoted following.
According to Kotaku, some of her most prolific attempts have seen her eat 30 fried eggs, 12 beef patties and five packs of instant noodles, a hobby that costs her around $5,000 dollars a month in food bills.
Several theories have been floated amongst the Asian press as to how the craze developed, with some suggesting that mok-bang is a way for Koreans, who increasingly live alone, to prevent loneliness.