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Several foods found at family gatherings at Christmas are constantly being recalled. Holiday shoppers should keep this in mind as they browse the aisles for ingredients this week.

Newsweek The Food and Drug Administration emailed for comment.

Why it matters

Food recalls are issued for a variety of reasons, including if the product contains undeclared ingredients that could cause an allergic reaction or if it may be contaminated by bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella.

The FDA has issued recalls for several holiday foods that may already be in consumers’ pantries or refrigerators, even if they have been removed from store shelves.

What you should know

Recalled foods that could make it into holiday dinners include popular items used for appetizers, main courses, side dishes, holiday drinks and desserts.

Lay’s Classic Potato Chips

Last week, Frito-Lay announced a recall of certain bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips after it was revealed that the product may have contained undeclared milk. The goods were sold in two states, Oregon and Washington.

The chips are packaged in a flexible bag with the guaranteed freshness date of February 11, 2025 and the manufacturing code 6462307xx or 6463307xx. The universal product code is 28400 31041.

Oysters

The FDA has advised people in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Washington not to consume oysters or manila clams produced by Rudy’s Shellfish in the area between November 15 and December 11 due to concerns about norovirus Pickering Passage in Washington were harvested outbreak. Norovirus is also known as stomach flu, although it is not related to influenza.

Hot cocoa mix

A recall was issued for Aroma Vita Hot Cocoa Mix sold in 32-ounce packages with a UPC code of 7 1908 50007 0 and a carton UPC code of 50719098500075 due to concerns that metal fragments could enter the product had reached.

The hot cocoa, a product of Atlanta-based DYMA Brands, was distributed in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota and Nebraska , New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Costco eggs

Last month, Handsome Brook Farms initiated a voluntary recall of its 24 organic, pastured eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand name due to possible salmonella contamination. The eggs were distributed to 25 Costco stores in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The recall applies to eggs packaged in a plastic carton with Julian code 327 and a best-before date of January 6, 2025. The packaging also shows the UPC number 9661910680.

What people say

The FDA announced this on its website: “It is important for consumers to be aware of recalls because recalled foods can cause injury or illness, especially in people who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system due to a chronic illness or medical treatment.”

What happens next

Consumers are urged to stay up to date on current recalls and check their products to ensure they are not included in recall notices. For a complete list of FDA recalls, visit fda.gov.