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Use caution Food recall · FDA · Published December 10, 2019

Lay's Classic Lays Recall: Water Contamination Risk

Frito-Lay recalls specific lots of Classic Lays potato chips due to potential water contamination from a roof leak. Check your UPC and dates.

Plain-English summary generated from official FDA data by GovInfoNow · Published by Carlos Caban · How we make summaries

🇺🇸 FDA recall #F-0443-2020FoodLay's ›
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Recalling firmFrito-Lay, Inc.7701 Legacy Dr · Plano, TX 75024-4099
✎ GovInfoNow plain-language explainer

Frito-Lay, Inc. is recalling specific lots of Classic Lays potato chips because water from a roof leak may have dripped onto the chips before they were packaged. The affected products include various sizes ranging from 2 3/4 oz to 15 7/8 oz sold in flexible plastic bags. These items were distributed in several northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/16166-lay-s-classic-lays-recall-water-contamination-risk.

Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/16166-lay-s-classic-lays-recall-water-contamination-risk · Updated October 11, 2026 · FDA enforcement record: FDA #F-0443-2020

Cite this page

“Lay's Classic Lays Recall: Water Contamination Risk.” GovInfoNow, updated October 11, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/16166-lay-s-classic-lays-recall-water-contamination-risk. Based on FDA recall #F-0443-2020 (https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22F-0443-2020%22&limit=1).

The FDA announced on Dec. 10, 2019, that Frito-Lay Inc. is recalling Classic Lays potato chips because water from a roof leak may have contaminated the product. Owners should contact the company for a refund.

How to tell if you have it

  • Brand: Lay's
  • Product: Classic Lays Potato Chips
  • Sizes and UPCs: 2 3/4 oz (UPC 28400 42054), 8 oz (UPC 28400 19914), 10 oz (UPC 28400 64549), 15 1/4 oz (UPC 28400 64474), 15 7/8 oz (UPC 28400 11087)
  • Packaging: Flexible plastic bags
  • Dates: Guaranteed Fresh MAR 10 2020
  • Codes: 9-digit Manufacturing Code 4662xxxxx, 566xxxxxx, or 666xxxxxx (x=any number)
  • Distribution: Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont
  • Units affected: 47,332 bags

The hazard

Water from a roof leak may have dripped on chips prior to packaging, according to the FDA.

Context

GovInfoNow's records show Frito Lay Inc has 13 other recalls on record since 2014-06-02. Other recent recalls of similar products include Frito Lay Lay's Classic Potato Chips Recall (2024-12-13), Frito-Lay Flavor Mix Tray May Contain Undeclared Milk - Recall (2020-08-24), and Frito-Lay Ruffles Potato Chips May Contain Undeclared Milk (2020-08-21). Other recent recalls of similar products include Utz Zapp's Bayou Blackened Ranch Kettle Chips Recall (2026-04-28), Utz Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips Recall (2026-04-28), and Great Value Hawaiian Roll 4pk: Oily Packaging Risk (2026-05-15).

How to tell if you have this one

Check if you have Classic Lays potato chips in flexible plastic bags with a 'Guaranteed Fresh' date of MAR 10 2020. Verify the UPC codes: 28400 42054 (2 3/4 oz), 28400 19914 (8 oz), 28400 64549 (10 oz), 28400 64474 (15 1/4 oz), or 28400 11087 (15 7/8 oz). Also check for a 9-digit Manufacturing Code starting with 466, 566, or 666.

  • Brand
    Lay's
  • Product
    Frito-Lay, Inc. recalls Classic Lays potato chips 2 3/4 oz. UPC 28400 42054; Classic Lays potato chips 8 oz. UPC 28400 19914; Classic Lays
  • Category
    Food

Where it went and when

Where it was distributed

Distributed in 12 states.

Alaska: not listedAKMaine: yesMEVermont: yesVTNew Hampshire: yesNHWashington: not listedWAIdaho: not listedIDMontana: not listedMTNorth Dakota: not listedNDMinnesota: not listedMNIllinois: not listedILWisconsin: not listedWIMichigan: not listedMINew York: yesNYRhode Island: yesRIMassachusetts: yesMAOregon: not listedORNevada: not listedNVWyoming: not listedWYSouth Dakota: not listedSDIowa: not listedIAIndiana: not listedINOhio: not listedOHPennsylvania: yesPANew Jersey: yesNJConnecticut: yesCTCalifornia: not listedCAUtah: not listedUTColorado: not listedCONebraska: not listedNEMissouri: not listedMOKentucky: not listedKYWest Virginia: not listedWVVirginia: yesVAMaryland: yesMDDelaware: yesDEArizona: not listedAZNew Mexico: not listedNMKansas: not listedKSArkansas: not listedARTennessee: not listedTNNorth Carolina: not listedNCSouth Carolina: not listedSCDistrict of Columbia: not listedDCOklahoma: not listedOKLouisiana: not listedLAMississippi: not listedMSAlabama: not listedALGeorgia: not listedGAHawaii: not listedHITexas: not listedTXFlorida: not listedFL

FDA distribution: “Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont” States read from FDA’s own wording; “not listed” means the notice does not name it.

States: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia.

Recall timeline

FDA terminated this recall 2 months after the firm started it.

1. Firm started the recall: Dec 10, 201912. FDA classified it Class III: Dec 27, 201923. Published in FDA’s Enforcement Report: Jan 8, 202034. FDA terminated the recall: Feb 20, 2020420192020
  1. Firm started the recall
  2. FDA classified it Class III
  3. Published in FDA’s Enforcement Report
  4. FDA terminated the recall

Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.

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Where this comes from

The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official FDA recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.

  • Official source: FDA Recall #F-0443-2020 (December 10, 2019) — FDA publishes no per-recall page; this is the official machine-readable enforcement record. Search FDA recalls for F-0443-2020 to see it in context.
  • Plain-language summary written by qwen3.6:35b-a3b on October 11, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the FDA notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
  • GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official FDA recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.
GovInfoNow is an independent guide. We are not FDA or any government agency. Always confirm details with the official recall.Data: CPSC · FDA · NHTSA · USDA