10-Year-Old Boy Dies After Eating Jelly Popularized by Mukbang... Malaysian Government Orders "Remove All Advertisements"

10-Year-Old Boy Dies from Choking on Eye Ball Jelly in Malaysia
Malaysian Government Takes Strong Action, Orders Removal of Advertisements
"Foods That Pose a Choking Hazard Require Special Caution"

A mukbang YouTuber holding an eyeball jelly. Not directly related to the main text. YouTube channel 'Hongyu ASMR Hongyu'

In Malaysia, a 10-year-old boy who was eating the so-called "eye ball jelly," which had become wildly popular among domestic teenagers through influencers' "mukbang" content on YouTube and social networking services (SNS), died from choking. The Malaysian government has ordered the removal of the advertisement from online platforms.

According to Singapore media The Straits Times on the 24th (local time), around 2:30 p.m. on the 18th, a boy named Mohammad Fahmi Hafiz, a 4th grader at a school in the Penang area, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed while going to the restroom with his friends.

The friends asked a teacher for help, and the teacher attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Fahmi, but it was ineffective. The ambulance that arrived after the report found jelly in Fahmi's throat and removed it. However, Fahmi was transported to the hospital without regaining consciousness. He received intensive care for two days at the hospital but ultimately passed away on the 20th.

Eye jelly stock photo. Not directly related to the text. YouTube channel 'ZOEY ASMR Joy'

Fahmi's aunt revealed on Facebook on the 19th, the day after the accident, that "my nephew fell into a critical condition after buying and eating eye ball-shaped jelly from a store outside the school." Health authorities confiscated the problematic product from the store. Upon inspection, the product was similar to eye ball jelly in size and material but was shaped like a basketball. This product, famous as eye ball jelly, also comes in various shapes such as soccer balls, fruits, animals, and globes.

Authorities later issued a statement declaring a strict ban on the sale of the product across all online platforms and local markets. On the 23rd, they ordered the deletion of all 86 advertisement links posted on two online platforms. They also urged parents to "be more cautious and attentive when choosing food for their children." In particular, they warned that "foods posing a choking hazard can be especially dangerous for infants and toddlers."

Poster Prohibiting the Sale of Eye-Shaped Jelly. Provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Eye ball jelly had also gained great popularity among children in Korea a few years ago. It frequently appeared as a mukbang item on YouTube channels primarily targeting children, and was easily available at stationery stores and convenience stores near schools. In Korea, the distribution of eye ball jelly was originally illegal. According to the Special Act on the Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life, children's preference foods that resemble specific human body parts such as heads or eyes and cause disgust are prohibited from being sold, manufactured, or imported.

When eye ball jelly was highly popular, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted focused crackdowns on the sale of foods detrimental to children's emotions at cooking and sales establishments within children's food safety protection zones. However, eye ball jelly can still be purchased through online platforms. Searching the relevant keywords reveals that various online shopping malls sell these products under names like "Halloween jelly" and "eye ball candy," and similar products shaped like globes are also easily found.