The Food and Drug Administration has newly classified the December recall of some Lay’s Classic Potato Chips sold in Oregon and Washington with the designation reserved for the highest degree of health hazard.

Lay’s began the voluntary recall of 6,344 bag of chips in December because they contain undisclosed milk. On Monday, the FDA issued a classification for the recall, determining it was Class I. This is the designation used to signify that the product presents the highest degree of health hazard. The government website describes it as a situation where the use of the product has a reasonable probability of causing “serious adverse health consequences or death.”

Reached by email on Wednesday, the FDA declined to say why the recall became a Class I more than a month after it was originally issued. Frito-Lay did not respond to similar inquiries by The Oregonian on Wednesday.

The potato chips were sold in stores and online on or after Nov. 3 in a 13-ounce “Party Size” bag. Other chip varieties and sizes are not affected. Those included in the recall are marked with a “Guaranteed Fresh” date of Feb. 11, 2025, and a manufacturing code that begins with either 6462307xx or 6463307xx.

In December, Frito-Lay parent company PepsiCo Foods said consumers with a sensitivity or allergy to milk should discard the chips. They can contact Frito-Lay with questions at 800-352-4477.

— Mims Copeland is a social media producer at The Oregonian/OregonLive and writes about trending topics.