The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has elevated a recall of popular Zapp’s and Dirty potato chip varieties to its most serious classification, citing the risk of salmonella contamination from a dry milk powder ingredient.
Why the highest recall classification?
The FDA’s decision to assign a Class I designation — its highest level — came in a weekly enforcement report published Friday. The agency applies this classification only “in 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.”
Despite the severity of the classification, Utz Quality Foods, which issued the voluntary recall on 28 April 2026, has stressed that no salmonella has been found in any of its finished products and that no illnesses have been reported. The recall was triggered after the company was notified that a seasoning ingredient containing dry milk powder — sourced from California Dairies, Inc. and supplied by a third party — might be contaminated with the bacterium. Utz said the affected seasoning batches had tested negative for salmonella prior to use and that the recall was launched “out of an abundance of caution.” The company added: “To date, there have been no complaints of illness reported to Utz in connection with the recalled products. Utz is recalling these products based on the ingredient supplier’s recall.”
The FDA’s report does not elaborate on why the recall warranted its most serious classification. However, the nature of salmonella infection — which can cause severe complications, particularly in vulnerable groups — underpins the decision. Even in the absence of confirmed contamination in the final product, the potential danger from a known contaminated ingredient is sufficient for the agency to apply the highest hazard level.
Utz’s website contains no new information beyond the initial recall announcement, and the FDA has not issued a specific risk assessment for consumers.
The recall in detail
Between approximately 650,000 and 685,000 bags of chips are believed to be affected. The recalled products carry best‑by dates ranging from 27 July to 31 August 2026 and include:
Zapp’s Brand — Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips (1.5oz, 2.5oz and 8oz); Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (1.5oz and 60‑count multipack); Big Cheezy Potato Chip (2.5oz and 8oz).
Dirty Brand — Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (2oz); Maui Onion Potato Chip (2oz); Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (2oz).
Utz, headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and a national snack manufacturer since acquiring the Zapp’s and Dirty brands in 2011, instructed retailers to remove the products from shelves and advised consumers not to eat them. Anyone with recalled chips should discard them and contact Utz Customer Care on 1‑877‑423‑0149 (Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm Eastern Time) or via [email protected] for a refund.
The salmonella risk — and the wider ingredient recall
Salmonella is a group of bacteria responsible for food‑borne illness and accounts for about one in four diarrheal diseases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Symptoms of infection typically include sudden fever, stomach pain, diarrhoea (which may be bloody), nausea and occasionally vomiting. While most healthy individuals recover within a few days to a week, infections can become serious — even fatal — for young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Severe cases may lead to complications such as dehydration, bacteraemia, sepsis, osteomyelitis and reactive arthritis.
The dry milk powder at the heart of the Utz recall came from California Dairies, Inc., which in April 2026 recalled more than two million pounds of powdered milk and buttermilk products because of potential salmonella contamination. That wider recall has already affected a range of other foods, including Ghirardelli Chocolate Company powdered beverage mixes, Fisher snack mixes, pork rinds, popcorn seasonings, cheese curds, and frozen pizzas sold under the Great Value, Walmart and Aldi labels, as well as various meat and poultry products containing the affected dairy ingredients.
The FDA has not reported any additional evidence that the contaminated ingredient reached consumers via the recalled chips, but the agency’s Class I classification underlines the seriousness with which it views the potential for harm — even when no actual contamination has been found in the final product.