People Are Eating Food In Its Packaging For 'Shell On' Challenge

Packaging is often emblazoned with written warnings, advising parents to keep it away from babies and toddlers, who know no better than to shove it in their mouths.

However, in 2019, it seems we may need to extend such warnings to teenagers, who are now intentionally eating packaging, knowing full well that they shouldn't.

Why, you ask? Well, that's because it's the latest dumb social media trend of course, whereby adolescents film themselves participating in whichever daft 'challenge' is flavour of the month.

Compared to some recent challenges, which included setting fire to yourself and eating washing detergent pods (seriously), the 'Shell On Challenge' is relatively safe - however, it is still very stupid.

The challenge sees people recording themselves eating various foods with the packaging still on, before sharing the video on social media sites, primarily Snapchat. Examples include eating a banana with its skin on, cereal in its cardboard box and vegetables in their plastic wrapping.

Liam Hamm, a high school student in Arizona, USA, was filmed eating a bag of carrots in their bag in a video captioned: "Y'all eat your carrots without the shell?"

Speaking to the Democrat & Chronicle, he explained why it was so funny.

WXYZ-TV Detroit

He said: "It just looks funny, because it's not really a shell but people are calling things shells. I guess that is what's funny about it."

Ohhhhhhhh, I get it now. Can't really beat it, can you? Saying something is something that it isn't - nowt funnier.

But while eating a bag of carrots 'shell on' may be a bag of laughs, it's actually not a very good idea, would you believe.

Physician Max Plitt warned that chemicals in plastics have been linked to cancers.

Speaking to the New York Post, he said: "Organic material like fruit peels are typically not dangerous. Zest is often used in recipes which is the shavings of the rind.

"Eating plastic, on the other hand, can be dangerous. BPA has been suggested to influence hormones. Chemicals in PVC like vinyl chloride have been linked to cancers."

Layton Police Department

It may seem ridiculous that medical experts are having to issue such warnings, but these are the times we live in. Earlier this year, people were crashing their cars because they were driving blindfolded as part of the 'Bird Box Challenge'. Before that, people were jumping out of moving vehicles and dancing for the 'Kiki Challenge'.

The upshot of all these challenges is that competition just keeps getting stiffer and stiffer in the Darwin Awards.

Topics: Viral, Social Media, US News, Snapchat

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey