What Are The Starch Toothpicks And Why Are South Koreans Eating Them

In South Korea, a peculiar food trend featuring an unexpected ingredient has gained traction through social media. Numerous videos circulating online depict individuals cooking toothpicks by boiling or stir-frying them. Coloured toothpicks made from starch extracted from corn or sweet potato are commonly sold in South Korean restaurants and supermarkets. These toothpicks are remarkably different from the wooden toothpicks popular in India. People use starch-based toothpicks as they are more sustainable. However, the South Korean government is concerned by the growing trend of people eating them and its potential health risks.

On January 24, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a warning that cautioned and urged people against eating or cooking any type of toothpicks. “Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat them," the authority said in a post on X.

Commenting on a video that shows a person frying the toothpicks that change into an appetising-looking shape, a YouTube user wrote, “The fact that u have to put warning labels on toothpicks that says “Do not eat" is scary. Social media really needs to go." Another person wrote, “Look up South Korean toothpicks. They are made from corn or potato starch and sorbitol, a fruit sugar alcohol. Green food coloring is often added. They are meant to be biodegradable not exactly ingested."

This is not the only bizarre and potentially dangerous food trend that went viral on social media. In early 2018, the “Tide Pod Challenge" egged people to eat Tide Pods, a laundry detergent product that was used in washing machines. The challenge resulted in several poisoning cases. In response, Google and Facebook removed videos that featured this challenge.

A spokesperson from Procter & Gamble manufactured Tide Pods said in a statement, “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the people who use our products. Our laundry pacs are a highly concentrated detergent meant to clean clothes and they’re used safely in millions of households every day. They should only be used to clean clothes and kept up, closed, and away from children. We have been consistently proactive in providing consumers with the right usage guidance and tools to enable them to use the product safely. They pods should not be played with, whatever the circumstance is, even if it is meant as a joke."