A tragic incident occurred when a teenager passed away after consuming a large quantity of raw noodles as part of a widespread social media challenge.
Hailing from the El Marg area of Cairo, Egypt, the boy ingested three packets of dry, instant ramen and began experiencing severe abdominal pain only thirty minutes later.
The young boy’s condition worsened with abdominal discomfort and vomiting, ultimately leading to his unfortunate death.
Initially, there were concerns that improper storage might have spoiled the products. However, after testing the noodles and conducting an autopsy, it was determined that the boy most likely succumbed to an acute bowel emergency, possibly due to an obstruction from consuming too many raw noodles simultaneously.
Participating in the social media trend of eating raw noodles poses significant risks, as these noodles can expand inside the digestive tract.
Dr. Ruchi Gupta explained to Pune Pulse: “Instant noodles are processed to be consumed after cooking. Eating them raw in large quantities can put serious strain on the digestive system.”
Despite these risks, the ‘Eat Ramen Raw’ trend continues to encourage people to eat dry noodles as part of an online challenge.
Experts are becoming increasingly alarmed as this trend encourages young people to consume uncooked noodles, posing significant health threats.
Earlier this year, a separate incident resulted in six deaths after the consumption of a popular ready-made pasta dish.
In late September, Nate’s Fine Foods extended its recall of certain pre-cooked pasta meals, such as fettuccine, linguine, and farfalle (bowtie), following a positive Listeria test in a linguine pasta sample.
The company issued the following statement: “Nate’s Fine Foods is committed to the highest standards of food safety and the well-being of our consumers. Out of an abundance of caution, we are voluntarily recalling select products after being notified of a potential link to a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes.
“We are in the process of committing our resources to continuing our previously impeccable food safety record by being diligent in our investigation.
“We are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state health officials to fully investigate the source. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of the people who enjoy our products, and we will continue to take all appropriate steps until this matter is resolved.”
Since the CDC last updated the case count on September 25, seven new illnesses from three states have been reported, alongside two more deaths, as per the FDA.
This brings the total number of infected individuals to 27 across 18 states. Of the 26 people with available information, 25 have been hospitalized, and six deaths have occurred.
The FDA also notes that one pregnancy-associated illness resulted in fetal loss.
Further details can be found here.