Isophoric News · Sunday, October 18, 2026
Kayem Foods recalls about 1.58 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products; USDA urges consumers not to eat them
Kayem Foods Inc., of Chelsea, Massachusetts, is recalling approximately 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that may have experienced temperature abuse during storage, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Oct. 17. FSIS lists the recall (number 026-2026) as Class I with a risk level of "high," for a processing defect, and says the products were produced from about March 31 to Oct. 7, 2026, bear the establishment numbers "EST. M/P 7839," "EST. P 20935A" or "EST. M 9520" inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were shipped to retail and foodservice locations nationwide and to Hong Kong; FSIS lists them as fully cooked and not shelf stable. The company found the problem after a retail customer complained on Oct. 1 about warm product temperatures at delivery, and determined that various products had been stored in a warehouse cooler that experienced temperature deviations, according to the notice.
There have been no confirmed reports of illness, and FSIS says anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS says it is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators, and urges people who bought the products not to eat them, but to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Consumers can call Kayem Foods Customer Service at 1-800-426-6100, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, or email info@kayem.com, or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854. The full list of products and UPC codes is in the product list attached to the notice, and FSIS says retail distribution lists will be posted at fsis.usda.gov/recalls when available.