Frito-Lay is recalling certain bags of its Lay’s Classic Potato Chips due to concerns that the products may contain milk, which is an allergen.
The company issued the recall Monday, according to an announcement published Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The products in question are 13-ounce bags with the following Universal Product Code, or UPC: 28400 31041.
The bags, which were distributed to retail stores and e-commerce distributors in Oregon and Washington, each have a “guaranteed fresh” date of Feb. 11, 2025, and one of two manufacturing codes: 6462307xx or 6463307xx.
The recalled chips were made available to consumers as early as Nov. 3, according to the announcement, which also stated that the recall was initiated after an “undeclared milk” concern was alerted “through a consumer contact.”
The recall does not include other Lay’s products, variety packs, chip flavors or bag sizes.
If you are in possession of a product that has been recalled, you are advised to contact Frito-Lay’s consumer relations line at 1-800-352-4477 from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.
If you have a milk allergy, the company advises that you refrain from consuming the product and discard it immediately.
Milk allergies are relatively common, particularly in children under age 16, the Cleveland Clinic states, adding that approximately 2% of children in the U.S. have such an allergy.
And a milk allergy is different than lactose intolerance. People with lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest the sugar in milk, whereas people with milk allergies have immune system responses to certain proteins found in milk and products containing milk.
“All true food allergies are caused by an immune system malfunction,” the Mayo Clinic states. “If you have milk allergy, your immune system identifies certain milk proteins as harmful.”
Symptoms of a milk allergy can occur shortly after someone consumes milk or a product that contains milk, or the symptoms can develop over a slightly longer period of time. Symptoms that may occur immediately include hives, wheezing, vomiting, and coughing or shortness of breath, as well as swelling of the lips, tongue or throat.
Symptoms that may develop after some time has passed include watery eyes, a runny nose, abdominal cramps, and loose stools or diarrhea that may contain blood, per the Mayo Clinic.
There are different ways to test whether you have a milk allergy. Your doctor may order a blood test or a skin prick test, for example. Always talk to your health care provider about any concerns or symptoms you may be experiencing.