The Food and Drug Administration has elevated its recall of Utz potato chips to its highest level over concerns of potential salmonella contamination, which can cause foodborne illness.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The FDA classified the recall of some of the company’s Dirty and Zapp’s brand chips as a Class 1 designation, its highest level, according to Friday’s weekly enforcement report.The report does not explain why the recall warranted its most serious classification.
The Class 1 designation is used for “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the FDA.In May, Utz voluntarily recalled these potato chip brands due to the risk of salmonella contamination with the dry milk powder used to make seasoning.
The powder, sourced from California Dairies and supplied by a third-party, tested negative for salmonella before the company used it in the chips.In a May 5 press release, Utz said it had not detected salmonella in any of its products and that there had been no reports of illness.
The company said it issued the recall out of “an abundance of caution.”The company said in May that no illnesses were reported in connection with the recalled chips.Which Utz products are included in the recall?Three flavors of Zapp’s chips and three flavors of Dirty chips, totaling over 650,000 bags, are affected by the recall update from Friday.They include: 1.5-ounce Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips with UPC code 83791272917 and best-by dates and batch codes of Aug.
3 (26030070101), Aug.10 (26036070102), Aug.
17 (26043070101) and Aug.24 (26052070103).2.5-ounce Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips with UPC code 83791272924 and best-by dates and batch codes of Aug.
3 (26029070104), Aug.17 (26044070104; 26045070104) and Aug.
3...