The Italian Competition Authority has concluded the proceedings initiated against DAVE's s.r.l., distributor of the "Hot Chip Challenge" product, with commitments. In particular, the commitments provide that DAVE's s.r.l. will no longer market and advertise the item and that it will remove it from its sales lists. The company distributed the "Hot Chip Challenge", a potato-based snack with ingredients to make it particularly spicy, encouraging young people in particular - in the manner of a challenge - to consume it without drinking and resisting its spiciness. The Authority considered that the commitments submitted by the company are likely to put an end to the unlawful aspects of the commercial practice challenged in the notice of initiation of the investigation, i.e. the induction of a challenge addressed, for the most part, to adolescent consumers (also disseminated through social media) and the inadequate representation of information on the health risks associated with the use of the product. In addition, the Antitrust Authority objected to the lack of relevant information on a food product that could endanger the health and safety of consumers, especially children or adolescents. With this decision, the Authority has successfully intervened to protect younger consumers who are more susceptible to influence from messages that induce them to eat even dangerous products, leveraging their propensity to accept the challenges launched on social media.
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