Nearly 1.6 million pounds of hot dogs, bacon and deli meats recalled after cooler failure
· Medical Xpressby Ellyn Vohnoutka
edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Nearly 1.6 million pounds (726,000 kilograms) of hot dogs, bacon, deli meats and sausages are being recalled because they may have gotten too warm while in storage.
Kayem Foods Inc., of Chelsea, Massachusetts, made the ready-to-eat meat and poultry products between about March 31 and Oct. 7.
They were shipped to stores and food service locations across the United States and in Hong Kong, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
The agency placed the recall in its highest-risk category, known as Class I.
The recall covers products sold under eight brand names: Kayem, Al Fresco, Triple M, McKenzie, Deutschmacher, Jordan's, Essem and Winnisimmet St. Butchery.
Affected items include hot dogs, bacon, deli ham and turkey breast, bologna, liverwurst, corned beef, brisket and kielbasa. A long list of Al Fresco chicken sausages, meatballs and breakfast patties is also included.
To tell whether a package is part of the recall, look for the USDA mark of inspection printed on the label. Recalled products carry one of three establishment numbers inside that mark: EST. M/P 7839, EST. P 20935A or EST. M 9520.
FSIS has posted a full list of products, UPCs and lot numbers, along with pictures of the product labels. Some recalled items have use-by dates as late as February 2027, so products bought weeks ago may still be sitting in home refrigerators.
The problem came to light Oct. 1, when a store customer complained that products felt warm when they were delivered. Kayem looked into it and found that a warehouse cooler where the meats were kept hadn't held a steady cold temperature.
When perishable food spends too long in a temperature range often called the "danger zone," it's considered "temperature abuse." The longer food stays in that range, the more time germs that cause foodborne illness have to grow, according to the University of Minnesota.
So far, no confirmed reports show anyone getting sick from these products. Anyone worried about a possible illness should contact a health care provider, FSIS said.
The agency urged people not to eat any of the recalled meats. Instead, they should throw them away or return them to the store where they were bought.
FSIS said it will check that Kayem notifies its customers and that the products are pulled from store shelves. FSIS will post lists of the stores that received the products on its recalls page once they're available.
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