FDA upgrades Zapp's and Dirty chips recall to Class I

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration reclassified the recall of about 685,000 bags of Zapp's and Dirty brand potato chips as a Class I recall, the agency’s highest safety classification, after linking the product to possible salmonella contamination from a dry milk powder ingredient. The recall had been voluntarily issued by Utz Quality Foods, the manufacturer of the two snack brands.

Class I status is reserved for products that could cause severe illness or death, indicating the agency’s assessment of a high health risk. The FDA’s decision highlighted the role of the dry milk powder, which is supplied by California Dairies, as the likely source of the bacterial contamination. The agency’s upgrade aims to ensure consumers are alerted to the danger and to facilitate removal of the affected chips from the market.