FDA Recalls 1,300 Bags of Tortilla Chips From a Popular Brand in 13 States — Issues Allergy Warning

For ancient people, good food might have looked like a dense grove of ripe fruit trees or a lush cluster of nutritious herbs, but for a modern human, good food typically starts with a good product. And since manufacturing a product involves certain processes, it is always vulnerable to being adulterated. When this happens, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issues a recall based on the triggers and illness reports. This time, the product is chips. Lately, shoppers have been noticing that retailers have pulled Frito-Lay’s popular Tostitos Cantina Traditional Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips from their shelves after the FDA issued this recall.

For those who have already bought them, they are warned of potential health risks, as some of these chip packets are contaminated with “undeclared milk,” according to a statement by the FDA. Typically, these tortilla chips featuring a simple blend of ingredients, including corn, vegetable oils, and salt, are “thick and delicious,” especially when dipped in sauces or salsa, satiating our snacktime cravings. But this time, some of the buyers might not experience the same gastronomical delight as these chips usually offer. Instead, the chips may trigger allergies, which could be “serious and life-threatening” in some cases.

The reason: The Company’s laboratory evaluation has found that these chips might be contaminated with milk. “Do not consume these chips if your body is sensitive or allergic to milk,” the FDA warned people in the recall report released on March 26 this year. This is an isolated case of contaminated chips, because, otherwise, all of the Tostitos products are considered free from food allergens, as they mention on the website. “According to the FDA, the most common food allergens are milk, peanuts, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and sesame. This product [Tostitos Corn Tortilla Chips] does not contain any of these common food allergens,” the company writes.

The recalled bags include a variety of nacho cheese tortilla chips. All in all, around 1,300 packets of these chips, weighing around 13 oz and 368 grams each, are potentially impacted. The UPC of these products is “28400 or 52848,” and a “guaranteed fresh date” of 20th May 2025. Plus, the products have one of the following manufacturing codes (where “XX” is any number from 30 up to 55): 471106504; 18 13:XX,  471106505; 85 13:XX, 471106506; 85 13:XX, 471106507; 85 13:XX.

The recalled product was sold by an association of retailers, including grocery, convenience, and drug stores, as well as e-commerce distributors. These distributors were spread out through 13 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The chips were available for purchase as early as March 7, 2025. FDA noted that the recall was a voluntary action by Frito-Lay, and it doesn’t endorse this recall by any means.

“When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company,” FDA wrote in the product recall poster. The recall is yet to be classified as a Class I, Class II, or Class III recall. The snack company added that no other products, except for these tortilla chips, are affected by the milk contamination. Plus, no allergic reactions related to the affected chips have been reported to date. These chips are safe to consume “unless a consumer has a dairy allergy or sensitivity to milk,” Frito-Lay clarified in a media statement.