The hottest potato chip in the world, the “Hot Chip” with, unsurprisingly, coffin-shaped packaging, ends up on the cartel table: It is dangerous and tempts young people in particular to view shopping and consumption as a challenge. Therefore, it could turn out to be an unfair business practice.
The UNC reported this to the authority headed by Roberto Rustichelli, which reports on the antitrust office’s reaction and the start of the proceedings.
This is a delicate investigation considering that last September there was already one victim of the challenge, a fourteen-year-old American boy who stumbled across Tik Tok.
No one, if they were informed, would put something in their mouth as “spicy” as the infamous potato chip with 2.2 million degrees on the Scoville scale (this is stated on the manufacturers’ websites). Suffice it to say that the classic Italian chili pepper used to season the very hot Calabrian ‘nduja, for example, has a maximum of 15,000 degrees. But we know how much young people love to test themselves. And the problem, in addition to the hype on social media, is also the marketing: The Hot Chip can easily be bought for $15 on Amazon.
“It is an important fight that we are fighting, considering that the chip is being sold freely, even to teenagers, as if it were a challenge,” said UNC President Massimiliano Dona.
Antitrust law proceeds from the perspective of the law: “The professional in the distribution and marketing of the product called Hot Chip Challenge, by referring to a challenge or by saying ‘How long can you last without drinking in a hurry’ something, “That puts out this fire?” says the authority document released by the UNC, would have used the element of challenge and relative danger as leverage to increase the attractiveness of the product and therefore sales. to encourage consumers (particularly young minors) to neglect the usual rules of caution and supervision.”
A behavior “characterized by particularly dangerous profiles given the young, or at least youthful, age of the potential buyers or given the resonance that the same challenge can have through massive dissemination on social media”, which “could constitute a concrete case of unfair commercial practices in violation against the consumer protection law.
Furthermore, “in this case, on the basis of the information identified, the conditions exist for the authority to decide on the temporary suspension of the commercial practice of the distributor of the product in Italy”, since the behavior “is characterized by significant profiles”. “aggressiveness and deception, are still in force and are characterized by a high level of offensiveness and can have serious and irreparable consequences, as they can endanger the health and safety of consumers, especially weaker and more vulnerable consumers such as minors and other young people.” .
The proceedings concern Dave’s, a distributor in Italy for the product called Hot-Chip, based in the Czech Republic.
Read the full article on ANSA.it