People are eating fried toothpicks in a bizarre new trend!

South Korea's food ministry is urging people not to try this.

There are all kinds of weird food trends out there and here's the latest, but we advise you not to try it out should you get hungry! People are eating fried toothpicks made of starch (unlike the wooden ones) and resembling curly fries in shape. The practice has gone viral in social media, with several video clips showing people frying and then consuming the deep-fried toothpicks seasoned with powdered cheese and other spices, surfaced. It has thrown up thousands of likes and shares for it on TikTok and Instagram. But does anything work in the name of garnering likes? No, actually. And in this case, eating these fied toothpicks this poses adverse health risks. It has prompted a stern health warning from South Korea's food ministry, who are urging people not to try this.

People are eating fried toothpicks made of starch, which has prompted a health warning

In a post on social media platform X (earlier Twitter), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety had said, "Their safety as food has not been verified. Please do not eat (them)."

With the use of food colouring made from sweet potato or corn starch, the toothpicks have got a green hue.

Mukbang, an online eating show which often describes often people eating an excessive amount of food or unusual dishes, are popular in South Korea.