Brands are seeking to distinguish themselves in a market flooded with options, making product quality a decisive factor in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Beyond attractive pricing or bold marketing strategies, quality emerges as the main driver of customer loyalty and satisfaction. This is evident as we witness certain potato chips brand being pulled from the market due to a “deadly allergy risk.”
What Happened to the Brand?
Recently, Frito-Lay announced the recall of its classic Lay’s potato chips due to concerns that they “may contain undeclared milk,” posing a “risk of severe or potentially fatal allergic reactions” to consumers, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Those with a severe milk allergy or sensitivity risk a serious or potentially fatal allergic reaction if they consume the recalled product,” the FDA stated in a notice published last Monday.
The recall affects potato chip bags distributed to retailers in Oregon and Washington, according to the FDA.
The affected chips have been on sale since at least November 3. To date, no allergic reactions have been reported, according to the FDA.
The agency also specified that the affected product bears UPC codes 28400 and 31041. These products have a “guaranteed fresh” date of February 11, 2025, and one of the following manufacturing codes: 6462307xx or 6463307xx.
Consumers are urged to contact Frito-Lay at 1-800-352-4477. Frito-Lay is a subsidiary of the snack and beverage conglomerate PepsiCo.
The recall of Frito-Lay potato chips is the latest in a series of recent incidents that have heightened widespread concern about food safety.
At least one person died, and 104 people across 14 U.S. states fell ill after an E. coli outbreak linked to onions used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers.
Last month, cucumbers shipped by Arizona-based supplier SunFed Produce were recalled in 26 states and Canada due to what health officials suspected was a salmonella outbreak.
Salmonella was also blamed for the recall of thousands of boxes of Costco eggs produced at a farm in New York and shipped to stores in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Around the same time, a frozen food company producing waffles and pancakes sold in major U.S. supermarkets, including Walmart, Kroger, and Whole Foods, expanded its product recall due to listeria contamination concerns.
A listeria outbreak also led Boar’s Head, a deli meat producer, to shut down a large Virginia factory where health inspectors had identified unsanitary conditions.
At least 10 people died after reportedly consuming contaminated deli meats. Overall, more than 740 food and beverage products have been recalled this year, more than double the number reported in 2023 and nearly triple that of 2022.
Product quality not only meets users’ functional expectations but also shapes their perception of the brand. According to a Deloitte study, 88 percent of consumers consider quality the most important attribute when choosing a product, surpassing factors like price or availability.
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