NowThis's video: South Korea Warns Against Eating Toothpicks After Viral Trend

South Korea’s food ministry has a message for its citizens: Please stop eating toothpicks. Recent viral videos on social media have featured people frying starch toothpicks to the point of resembling curly chips and adding seasoning to them. Unlike wooden toothpicks, which are common in the U.S., toothpicks in South Korea are typically made from sweet potato or corn starch. This makes them biodegradable and environmentally friendly. They also typically have food coloring added. The trend of eating fried starch toothpicks prompted the South Korean food ministry to issue a warning about consuming the product, writing ‘This is not a product to eat! Their safety as food has not been verified,’ on X. » Subscribe to @NowThis » Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: https://go.nowth.is/knowthis_youtube For more news, subscribe to @NowThis. Connect with NowThis » Subscribe to NowThis News: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe » Like us on Facebook: http://go.nowth.is/News_Facebook » Tweet us on Twitter: http://go.nowth.is/News_Twitter » Follow us on Instagram: http://go.nowth.is/News_Instagram » Find us on Snapchat Discover: http://go.nowth.is/News_Snapchat From entertainment to viral videos and trending stories, NowThis is delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live. http://www.youtube.com/@nowthis South Korea Warns Against Eating Toothpicks After Viral Trend