Kayem Foods Inc. voluntarily recalled approximately 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products distributed across the United States after detecting that a cooling system in one of its warehouses failed, exposing the products to unsafe temperatures.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) classified the recall as Class I, the highest risk category, indicating that there is a reasonable probability that the consumption of the affected items could lead to serious health consequences.
The issue came to light on October 1, when a retail customer complained about receiving products at an inappropriate temperature.
The company's internal investigation determined that the cooling system of one of its warehouses had experienced a malfunction, which caused temperature deviations in the stored products between June 7 and October 14, 2026.
The company announced the recall on October 16 and the FSIS made it public the following day. The affected items were manufactured between March 31 and October 7, 2026, and were shipped to retailers and food service establishments nationwide, as well as to Hong Kong.
To determine if a product is included in the recall, consumers should look for the establishment numbers within the USDA inspection seal: EST. M/P 7839, EST. P 20935A, or EST. M 9520.
The complete list with brands, descriptions, UPC codes, and lot numbers is available on the official FSIS website.
The brands affected by the recall include Kayem, Al Fresco, McKenzie, Triple M, Deutschmacher, Jordan's, Genoa, Essem, and Winnisimmet St. Butchery.
The types of products include hot dogs, frankfurters, bacon, ham, turkey breast, bologna, liverwurst, corned beef, smoked brisket, kielbasa, bratwurst, chicken sausages, and meatballs.
Since the recall involves nationwide distribution, households in Florida— including the Miami area— may have affected products in their refrigerators.
Publix is among the chains in the state that sell Kayem products, although the official notice has not yet published the complete list of specific stores that received the compromised batches.
The FSIS warns that some products may still be in consumers' refrigerators and recommends not consuming them under any circumstances: they should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.
Until the official announcement, no cases of illness linked to the consumption of these products had been confirmed.
The risk of the affected products lies in the fact that they are ready-to-eat items that do not require further cooking.
When they remain outside the safe temperature range, they can promote the growth of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women, individuals over 65 years of age, and those with weakened immune systems.
Matt Monkiewicz, president and CEO of Kayem Foods, took direct responsibility: "Our management team takes full responsibility. We have learned from the problem, we have corrected it, and we will not allow it to happen again."
Consumers with questions can contact the customer service of Kayem Foods at 800-426-6100 or write to info@kayem.com, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
You can also call the USDA's toll-free line for questions about meat and poultry: 888-674-6854. The detailed list of retail distribution will be published at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls as soon as it becomes available.
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