The danger is in the dye.

So said community activist Lynn Philips, of Tafelsig.

She was speaking on the recent scare in the community alleging that drugs are being put in Chippa Naks packets and sold to children.

Philips said it was unlikely that drugs were being put into the chips packets.

“People are sending out panic,” she said.

“Lily white” tablets

She pointed out her doubts about the scare which started when a woman posted a video of a child outside Tafelsig clinic “collapsing” due to allegedly eating the popular chips brand.

The woman claims the chips were sold to the child by a foreign national.

Over the weekend, a voice note was also shared on social media claiming that another child had fallen ill from eating the chips.

Philips pointed out that if the pill, shown on the images that were shared alongside the video, had been in the packet, it should have been stained with dye.

“The tablet is still lily white,” Philips said. “If it was found inside the chips the colour should have changed.”

Philips pointed out that the high dye content of the chips, which visibly stain the lips and fingers of people who eat it, should have stained the tablet too.

People in the videos also show the packets already opened when claiming that they found the tables inside.

“I never saw a packet opened on social media to verify the tablet was inside,” she said.

However, she did not take issue with the call to not buy the product, but not because she believed there were tablets inside.

“Parents need to be assertive. There is too much colouring in those chips and it has a direct implication on our kids’ organs,” she said.

Officials respond

Police spokesperson Sgt Wesley Twigg could not confirm if foreign substances had been added to the chips but said that police are investigating.

The City’s health department said that no evidence of food poisoning had been found and that the children returned to school on the same day.

“City Health conducted an investigation, including a visit to the shop where the learners bought the chips. The owner of the shop was able to provide proof of a pending application for a Certificate of Acceptability. Based on the available findings, there is no confirmed evidence of food poisoning linked to the consumption of the chips. The matter has been escalated to the City’s Food Control Unit for further investigation and to engage with the manufacturer,” the department said in an email.

The City also cautioned against spreading unverified stories on social media.”Communities must be mindful of what circulates on social media. Not everything posted online is true or accurate. Before sharing information, take a moment to check that it comes from a reliable source.

If you have genuine food safety concerns, please report it promptly and provide accurate information and as many details as possible. 

“Responsible reporting enables our Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) to investigate real risks, prevent foodborne illness, and take action against unsafe food premises. “However, false, malicious, or deliberately fabricated complaints — including cases where foodstuffs are sabotaged to create the appearance of contamination seriously undermines the work of our EHPs.”

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