The craze took hold in South Korea after it was introduced on a live-streaming platform that shows content creators eating excessive amounts of strange or unusual foods.
It quickly spread to TikTok and Instagram also picked it up.
Short videos showed people putting the toothpicks in sizzling oil until curly, then adding seasonings like cheese or spicy powder before eating. The clips have been shared and liked thousands of times.
CCTV said people believed that the food was tasty and healthy.
However, the snack is made from sweet corn and potato mixed with sorbitol, a sugar substitute which can have negative health effects like bloating and flatulence.
On January 24, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a warning on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, urging people to refrain from consuming the “deep-fried toothpicks”.
“Starch toothpicks are not edible products. Their safety as food has not been verified,” the ministry said, adding: “Please do not eat them.”
The story has sparked widespread public response in China. At the time of writing it had attracted 3.33 million views on Weibo.
While some online observers were worried on a food safety basis, many were simply surprised by the fad.
“The food colouring in the toothpicks is indeed unhealthy,” said one.
While another said: “They look like worms, disgusting” and a third asked: “Is this really delicious?”
Stories about bizarre food fads regularly make headlines in China.
In September 2023, another South Korean-inspired dietary plan involving taking supplements like coenzyme Q10, fish oil, lutein, and vitamin D3, became all the rage with young people in China as they tried to balance unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Last July, mainland youngsters began “raising” the seeds of mangoes as “pets” by grooming their sprouting hair and even keeping diaries for them, shocking mainland social media.
