Kayem Foods recalls 1.58 million pounds of processed meats
The USDA's food safety agency classed the recall as Class I over temperature failures and urges people not to eat the products, which shipped nationwide and to Hong Kong.
Kayem Foods, a processor based in Chelsea, Massachusetts, is pulling 1.58 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry, about 719 metric tons, because the products may have suffered "temperature abuse" in a warehouse. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Agriculture Department's food safety agency, announced the recall Oct. 17.
FSIS classed the recall as Class I, its highest-risk level, and logged it as a process defect. The category signals a reasonable probability of serious health consequences, not confirmed cases: as of Oct. 17, the agency had no reports of illness.
How the problem was found
It began Oct. 1, when a retail customer complained that a shipment arrived warm. The company investigated and traced the failure to a malfunctioning cooling system in a cold room.
The affected production runs from March 31 to Oct. 7 and reached stores and food-service operators nationwide and in Hong Kong. The products are cooked and are not shelf-stable. They include hot dogs, multi-meat sausages, bacon, ham, bologna and turkey breast, sold under brands such as Kayem, Al Fresco, Triple M, McKenzie and Jordan's.
What FSIS is asking
The agency fears some of the product is still in home refrigerators. It urges buyers not to eat it and to throw it out or return it to the store. Packages carry the USDA inspection mark with the number EST. M/P 7839, EST. P 20935A or EST. M 9520, and the list of products and UPC codes is in a PDF attached to the notice.
Company president Matt Monkiewicz apologized and said the business depends on serving safe food.
A recall is not a penalty. The company carries it out, FSIS announces it, and the agency then checks that the firm notified its customers and the product came off shelves. The volume does not say how many people ate it. The advice applies to the general public, with no distinction for risk groups, and does not replace a doctor's visit for anyone who suspects an illness. Questions go to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 888-674-6854.
