Frito-Lay Recalls Chips Due to Salmonella Contamination

This just in! Some of Frito-Lay's chips might be bad for your health for reasons other than the fact that they're deep fried potatoes.

On April 21, Frito-Lay announced a voluntary recall of both Jalapeño Flavored Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chips and Jalapeño Flavored Miss Vickie's Kettle Cooked potato chips due to Salmonella concerns.

Gross.

Salmonella is a bacteria that causes one million foodborne illnesses a year, with about 380 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps that occur 12 to 72 hours after infection and last about four to seven days. If the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream, antibiotics need to be administered to treat it. In terms of fatalities, children and older adults are at the highest risk.

Fortunately, no illnesses related to this recall have been confirmed. The contamination risk stems from concern about the seasoning on the chips, as one of the company's seasoning suppliers recalled their jalapeno powder. No Salmonella was found in any shipments made to Frito-Lay, but the company is ordering the recall as an extra precaution for its customers.

Look out for a "use by" date of June 20 or a "guaranteed fresh" date of July 4 or before, as these are the umbrella dates for this recall. Jalapeño Cheddar Flavored Lay's Kettle Cooked 40% Less Fat potato chips are unaffected by this recall, but make sure to double check the following multipacks using the aforementioned standards: 12-count Lay's Kettle Cooked multipack sack, 20-count Frito-Lay Bold Mix sack, 30-count Miss Vickie's multipack tray, 30-count Lay's Kettle Cooked multipack tray, and 32-count Miss Vickie's multipack box.

This is clearly a sign from a higher power smiting people for not buying the superior seasoned chip, sour cream and onion. So, if you have any Frito-Lay jalapeno chips, return them and upgrade your taste buds for next time you want a flavored potato chip. Or not. We're not the boss of you. But do check those dates and make sure not to eat anything that was included as part of this recall. All kidding aside, Salmonella is no joke and you don't want to take any chances.

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Cover image by David Sanabria/Flickr