A viral Instagram video has sparked alarm among instant noodle fans after a user pointed out a warning label on ramen packages that reads: “Cancer and Reproductive Harm.” Instant ramen, a staple for students, busy professionals, and late-night snackers alike, is now under scrutiny after an Instagram user named ‘omggotworms’ shared a video flipping over multiple packets to reveal the label. The warning, printed in fine text on the back, left many viewers stunned. In the video, the user flips over multiple ramen packages to reveal the caution label, expressing his disbelief. “Wait. Ramen noodles come with this warning? Cancer + reproductive harm?? Read the labels carefully,” he wrote in the caption. Watch the video: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ricky (@omggotworms) The video sparked a flurry of reactions online. While many were stunned, some pointed out they had known about the risks for a while. One user dismissed the warning as misleading, saying, “This is fake. I checked my Buldak ramen packets, no such warning.” Others offered a more nuanced explanation. “Fun fact, my wrench came with that same warning. It’s because they don’t want to waste money in California to test their products for reproductive harm or cancer damage, so they just slap that label on,” one comment read, referring to California’s Proposition 65, which requires warnings on products that contain certain chemicals—even in trace amounts. Some users weren’t surprised at all. “It’s been there since day one. People barely read the nutritional facts. You expect them to read the small print?!” one person commented. Another added, “California puts that warning on literally everything.” Others pointed out that sometimes it's not even the food, but the packaging that’s the problem. “A lot of times, the packaging itself is toxic. The heat-printed wrappers leach chemicals into your skin at levels above the minimum decided safe exposure amount,” one user wrote. The United States Department of Agriculture notes that a typical 81-gram serving of ramen contains 14 grams of total fat and around 6.5 grams of saturated fat – that’s about a third of the recommended daily intake.
