Kayem Foods Inc., based in Chelsea, Massachusetts, has announced a nationwide recall of approximately 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The action follows a warehouse cooling system malfunction that caused storage temperatures to rise outside of required safety standards.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) classified the recall as a Class 1 operation on October 17, 2026. This classification represents the agency’s highest-risk category, applied when there is a reasonable probability that consuming the food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
Details of the Recalled Meat and Poultry Products
The affected items include various ready-to-eat goods such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage, oven-roasted turkey breasts, and hams. These items were produced over a broad period, specifically between March 31 and October 7, 2026. They were distributed to retail stores, wholesale clubs, and foodservice locations across the United States as well as Hong Kong.
Because many of these ready-to-eat products carry a long shelf life, federal regulators expressed strong concern that packages purchased weeks or months ago might still be sitting in household refrigerators, freezers, or commercial food service inventories.
To identify the recalled items, consumers and retailers should look inside the USDA mark of inspection for one of the following official establishment numbers:
- EST. M/P 7839
- EST. P 20935A
- EST. M 9520
Kayem Foods manufactures products under several brand names, including Al Fresco, DeCosta, Essem, Genoa, Jordan’s, Kirschner, McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli, Meisterchef, Schonland’s Foods, and Triple M, along with specific private-label items like McKenzin Country Classics. Regulators note that a brand name alone does not confirm a recall. Shoppers must match both the establishment number and the specific UPC code against the official FSIS product list.
Origin of the Temperature Control Issue
The safety issue came to light on October 1, 2026, when a retail customer reported that a shipment of meat products had arrived at a warm temperature. Subsequent investigations by Kayem Foods revealed that a warehouse cooler experienced significant temperature deviations, exposing the stored items to unsafe warmth.
When ready-to-eat meats experience temperature abuse-entering the USDA-defined danger zone between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit-harmful pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes can multiply rapidly. Federal agencies emphasize that contaminated food often looks, smells, and tastes completely normal.
As of the initial announcement, FSIS has confirmed that no illnesses or adverse reactions related to the recalled products have been reported.
Health Risks Associated with Temperature Abuse
While healthy individuals who ingest food contaminated with Listeria typically experience mild symptoms or none at all, certain vulnerable populations face severe health risks. High-risk groups include pregnant individuals, newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and people with compromised immune systems.
In pregnant individuals, a Listeria infection can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infections in newborns. Symptoms generally appear within two weeks of consumption-though they can emerge later-and include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance.
Consumer Action and Next Steps
Federal health agencies urge consumers who have purchased any of the affected products to take immediate action:
- Do Not Consume: Immediately stop eating or serving the recalled meat and poultry items.
- Check Storage Spaces: Inspect household refrigerators, kitchen freezers, and secondary chest freezers in basements or garages.
- Dispose or Return: Safely discard the items in a sealed trash bag or return them directly to the retail location where they were purchased for a refund.
- Sanitize Surfaces: Thoroughly wipe down refrigerator shelves, bins, and countertops where the packages were stored.
Customers with questions regarding the recall can contact Kayem Foods Customer Service Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET at 1-800-426-6100, or via email at info@kayem.com. For additional inquiries, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is available at 888-674-6854.
