B_CHUCHU_ / @HEE_2458 X via Reuters
Despairing health officials in South Korea issued a warning Wednesday imploring people to please, for the love of God, stop eating fried toothpicks.
Recent viral posts on TikTok and Instagram show people frying and then eating green toothpicks, adding various seasonings like powdered cheese to give them some flavor.
The toothpicks, which are typically made from sweet potato or corn starch, are intended to be an eco-friendly alternative to their more classic wooden cousins—but are nevertheless a sanitary product, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said in a warning. “This is not a product to eat!” the ministry wrote in an X post.