Recently in South Korea, people have been eating or trying fried green toothpicks with seasonings, adding to the growing concerns about food safety worldwide.
This trend has gone viral on social media platforms in the last few weeks, particularly among influencers and mukbang YouTubers.
People were informed through the media that the “snack” was scrumptious once any water on the toothpicks were dried, then fried in oil, and that it was safe to eat since the toothpicks were made out of cornstarch and food coloring .
Acknowledging the problematic situation, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety officially spoke out on January 23rd, 2024.
According to Channel A News, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, “It has been yet to be tested for safety as a food. Because the videos of the snack have been increasing in popularity throughout children and teenagers, they need to be careful. Also, we ask for everyone to use toothpicks and other sanitary products only for their rightful purpose.”
On the other hand, this isn’t the only food-related issue the world has come across before.
In 2022, one of the popular food trends was butterboards, and according to Lilian Cheung, a lecturer on nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, butterboards are made of saturated fat and therefore have a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
To deepen the overall understanding of these problems, three students were interviewed with the following questions: Do you think the fried/puffed up green toothpick is safe for the body? Why or why not? What are some different methods we can implement in order for people to follow the food safety regulations?
Chloe Kim, a current 8th grader, stated, “No, because according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, green toothpicks are considered sanitary products, not food. Since we don't know exactly how it is produced, I personally would not eat it. Also, one possible method to implement could be finding people and/or companies that don't follow food safety regulations and educating students on the importance of food safety.”
Another 8th grader who wished to remain anonymous stated, “No, it is most definitely not safe. I saw on YouTube that green toothpicks themselves contain harmful ingredients, so it’s absolutely unsafe. As for a new way for people to listen better to food safety regulations, I think we can create some type of video about how dangerous the toothpicks can be through campaigns, advertisements, etc.
Lastly, Jaekyung Jung, a current middle schooler said, “I believe a toothpick is made out of plastic, and if it is fried/puffed up, it would probably create environmental hormones; which are toxic. Therefore, people shouldn’t be consuming these. To answer the second question, washing our hands before cooking or eating, always keeping the kitchen (cooking environment) clean, etc., can be some effective methods.
These responses demonstrate powerful concerns related to the world’s increasingly problematic food safety.
Hopefully, citizens will realize that just because a trend “looks” good or safe to follow, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be.
Yuna Cho
Grade 8
St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju