TikTok videos of people eating liquid nitrogen-infused snack prompts Indonesia’s health ministry to issue warning
The snack – known locally as chiki ngebul and often referred to as “dragon’s breath” – is a type of colourful candy that is coated in liquid nitrogen mist.
A file photo of the snack known locally in Indonesia as chiki ngebul and often referred to as “dragon’s breath”. (Photo: Unsplash/Albert Hu)
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has urged local health authorities to monitor food establishments and asked parents to be more vigilant after reports that several children were hurt after consuming a type of liquid nitrogen-infused snack.
The snack – known locally as chiki ngebul and often referred to as “dragon’s breath” – is a type of colourful candy that is coated in liquid nitrogen mist.
It has taken social media by storm recently, with children recording themselves eating the snack. They then breathe the liquid nitrogen mist out of their mouths.
There are dozens of videos of people consuming the snack on social media platform TikTok. One video showing the preparation of the snack by a street vendor on the @mistermakan.id TikTok account has been viewed 9.4 million times.
In a statement on Jan 11, Indonesia’s health ministry highlighted the dangers of consuming the snack. It said that the consumption of the snack over an extended period of time may lead to serious health issues.
The ministry warned that the overconsumption of the liquid nitrogen-infused snack may lead to stomach burns, inflammation, cold burns as well as damage to the internal organs.
It added that inhaling the fumes for a prolonged period of time may also lead to severe breathing difficulties.
On Tuesday (Jan 17), The Guardian reported that around 25 children have since been affected after consuming the snack, with two of them hospitalised.
The Indonesian health ministry’s director for environmental health Anas Ma’ruf was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post last Thursday that there have been at least nine confirmed cases of injuries this year after children consumed the snack.
“From the data that we have collected, (the medical issues arising after consuming the snack) only happened in 2022. We cross-checked (our data) from 2021, 2020 and 2019 and there were no reports of it,” said Dr Anas.
According to the Jakarta Post, the country’s first known medical case involving the snack was reported in East Java’s Ponorogo regency in July last year. There were cold burns on the child’s skin after the child had eaten the snack.
Earlier this month, the health ministry issued a circular instructing regional administrations and local health agencies to oversee food products that use liquid nitrogen. There was, however, no outright ban of the product.
According to the circular, restaurants are required to disclose to their customers whether their food items contain liquid nitrogen. Those serving food products containing the chemical will also need to be placed under the local health agencies’ supervision.
The health ministry has also advised schools to educate their students about the dangers of the snack while street food vendors are discouraged from selling the viral product.
Read this story in Bahasa Melayu here.
