World’s Spiciest Tortilla Chip is Vegan

Proving that viral food trends are best when no animals are harmed, tortilla chip company Paqui will release the Carolina Reaper Madness Chip—which happens to be vegan. At a hefty price tag of $4.99 per single chip, spice seekers will be able to order the new item online beginning next month. The chip is packaged in a tiny, bright red wrapper and housed in a coffin, depicting the Grim Reaper. At 2.2 million Scoville units, the Carolina Reaper chili is the spiciest in the world, which is why Paqui decided to only include one “deadly hot” chip per package. The GMO- and gluten-free chip is also flavored with ghost and chipotle peppers, and made in a dedicated egg-free facility. Food companies have consistently capitalized on the shareability of their creative food products on social media as a form of receiving viral exposure. Recent animal-free food crazes include veganized “freakshakes” at The Canvas Café in the United Kingdom, and the Raindrop Cake—a water droplet-like dessert made with agar agar, water, and brown rice syrup. Once the Carolinea Reaper Madness Chip goes on sale, Paqui will give a free bag of its plain tortilla chips to anyone who posts a photo of themselves eating one with the hashtag #OneChipChallenge.