FDA elevates Utz potato chip recall to top salmonella alert

The Food and Drug Administration has elevated Utz’s recall of limited Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips to a Class I alert. The recall affects specific bags sold at retail stores nationwide, including Zapp’s Bayou Blackened Ranch chips in 1.5-ounce, 2.5-ounce and 8-ounce sizes, and Dirty brand Sour Cream and Onion and Salt and Vinegar chips with best-by dates in July and August 2026.

Consumers with these chips in the pantry should check the brand, flavor, package size and date closely before eating them. No other Utz products were included in the recall, and no illnesses had been reported when the recall was first announced.

Utz Quality Foods, LLC first announced the voluntary recall on May 4, 2026, after it was notified that a seasoning containing dry milk powder from California Dairies, Inc., and supplied by a third-party supplier, was contaminated with Salmonella. The affected seasoning batches had tested negative for Salmonella before they were used in the chips.

The FDA classified the action as a Class I recall, the agency’s highest risk category. A Class I recall means there is a reasonable probability that using or being exposed to the product could cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

The case stems from California Dairies, Inc.'s April 20, 2026 recall of bulk powdered milk and buttermilk. That recall triggered a chain of downstream product removals across multiple food companies, including Utz. The FDA lists the event on its Major Product Recalls page; it involved five or more related recalls.

Salmonella is a particular concern in food recalls because it can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and in rare cases can lead to bloodstream infections and other severe complications.