Major food recall: Kayem Foods pulls 1.58 million pounds of meat and poultry over health concerns
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2026 — More than 1.58 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are being recalled after a warehouse cooling problem raised concerns about potentially unsafe storage temperatures, federal food safety officials announced.
Kayem Foods Inc., based in Chelsea, Massachusetts, is recalling approximately 1,584,361 pounds of meat and poultry products that may have been exposed to improper temperatures during storage, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The affected products were produced between approximately March 31 and Oct. 7, 2026, and distributed to retail stores and foodservice locations across the United States and Hong Kong.
How the Problem Was Discovered: The company’s investigation began after a retail customer complained on Oct. 1 about products arriving at delivery with unusually warm temperatures. Kayem subsequently determined that a warehouse cooler used to store various ready-to-eat meat and poultry products had experienced temperature deviations, prompting the recall.
Although no confirmed illnesses have been reported in connection with the products, FSIS is concerned that some recalled items may still be in consumers’ refrigerators.
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What Consumers Should Do: Consumers who purchased the affected products are urged not to eat them. The USDA advises throwing the products away or returning them to the place of purchase.
Shoppers should check product labels and identifying information against the agency’s official recall materials before deciding whether an item is affected.
The recalled products carry one of the following establishment numbers inside the USDA mark of inspection:
- EST. M/P 7839
- EST. P 20935A
- EST. M 9520
Check out the product images and SKU numbers here.
Consumers can review the affected product labels in the official USDA recall notice and consult the agency’s nine-page product list with UPC codes to help identify recalled items.
Anyone who is concerned about a possible illness after consuming a product should contact a healthcare provider.
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Where to Get More Information: Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Kayem Foods Customer Service at 800-426-6100, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time, or email info@kayem.com.
Food safety questions can also be directed to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or by email at MPHotline@usda.gov.
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The FSIS says it conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that companies notify their customers and take steps to remove affected products from the marketplace. Additional distribution information may be posted on the agency’s recall website.
Consumers should take the warning seriously: even without confirmed illnesses, products that may have been stored at improper temperatures should not be consumed.
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(Source: USDA)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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