WASHINGTON, DC — More than 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products have been recalled nationwide after federal officials said the items may have been exposed to unsafe temperatures during storage. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the recall Saturday, saying the products were distributed across the country after being shipped from a Massachusetts-based food company.
The recall covers products made by Kayem Foods Inc. and sent to retailers between June 7 and Oct. 14, 2026. The company pulled the items after a retail customer reported that some of them arrived warm. No illnesses have been confirmed so far, but USDA officials are urging people who bought the affected products not to eat them.
How the recall started with a warm delivery complaint
The problem first came to light after a retail customer complained that the products were warm when they were delivered. That complaint prompted Kayem Foods to investigate further, according to the company and federal officials.
During that review, the company found that the products had been kept in a warehouse cooler that malfunctioned. USDA said the equipment failure caused temperature deviations, raising concern that the meat and poultry may not have stayed within safe limits before reaching stores and foodservice customers.
Because the products were ready-to-eat, the temperature issue raised enough concern for a broad recall rather than a narrower inspection hold. The items had already moved through retail and foodservice channels before the problem was identified.
Where the recalled products were shipped and why the reach is so broad
USDA said the affected products were shipped to retail and foodservice locations throughout the United States, along with locations in Hong Kong. That wide distribution helped make the recall especially large, with more than 1.5 million pounds now included.
The products were produced by Kayem Foods and distributed over a period of more than four months, from early June through mid-October. The agency has not said that every item made during that span was affected, but it is warning consumers to check the recall list carefully because the products were sent into many separate markets.
The company says a full list of the recalled items includes brand names, item descriptions, UPC codes and best-by dates. Those details are intended to help shoppers and businesses identify whether they have any of the affected meat or poultry products.
No illnesses reported as federal officials warn consumers not to eat the products
As of Saturday, USDA officials said there were no confirmed reports of illness linked to the recalled products. Even so, they are advising anyone who may have purchased the items to avoid consuming them.
Food safety recalls often move quickly when there is a possibility that temperature abuse could affect product quality or safety. In this case, officials did not cite a specific contamination agent, but they said the storage failure created enough concern to remove the products from circulation.
Consumers who have the recalled items are being told not to serve or eat them. The recall notice directs buyers to review product details carefully, since the items include multiple brand names and package variations.
Kayem Foods says it is taking full responsibility for the recall
In a statement Friday, Kayem Foods President and CEO Matt Monkiewicz said the company was acting voluntarily and “out of an abundance of caution.” He said the company’s management team is taking “full responsibility” for what happened.
Monkiewicz also said the business depends on delivering safe food of high quality and that the company had learned from the issue and corrected it. He said Kayem would not allow the same problem to happen again.
The statement underscores that the recall is being handled as a preventive step after the cooler malfunction was discovered, not after reports of confirmed illness. The company has not disclosed additional details about the equipment failure beyond the temperature deviations identified in the warehouse.
What shoppers and foodservice buyers need to check now
Anyone who bought ready-to-eat meat or poultry products from Kayem Foods should compare package information against the recall list before serving or discarding anything. The USDA says the list includes the brand name, item description, UPC code and best-before date for each affected product.
Because the products were sold through both retail and foodservice channels, the recall may affect homes, restaurants, cafeterias and other businesses. The broad distribution means some products may no longer be in original packaging, making label checks especially important.
Consumers who find a match should not eat the product. The recall notice provides the identifying information needed to sort affected items from unaffected ones, and federal officials say the products should be kept out of use until they can be handled appropriately.
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