Kayem, Al Fresco & McKenzie Recall: 1.58M lb Hot Dogs, Bacon

TL;DR: On October 17, 2026, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Kayem Foods Inc. of Chelsea, Mass. is recalling about 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that may have experienced temperature abuse during storage. FSIS classifies the recall as High, Class I (recall 026-2026) and reports no confirmed illnesses. The recall covers 68 SKUs across nine brands, including Kayem, Al Fresco and McKenzie. FSIS urges consumers not to eat the products and to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. FSIS says retail distribution lists will be posted when available.

Key takeaways

• On October 17, 2026, FSIS announced the recall of about 1,584,361 lb of ready-to-eat products from Kayem Foods Inc., Chelsea, Mass.
• The problem surfaced after a retail customer complaint about warm product at delivery on October 1, 2026. Kayem's October 16, 2026 release attributes it to a cooling system malfunction at one of its warehouses.
• The affected list has 68 SKUs across nine brands. Check the brand and item description, UPC, best-before range and lot code where printed, plus establishment numbers EST. M/P 7839, EST. P 20935A and EST. M 9520.
• FSIS reports no confirmed illnesses. FSIS urges consumers not to eat the products.
• Kayem customer service: 800-426-6100 (Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern).

What happened

FSIS announced the recall on October 17, 2026. According to the agency, the problem was discovered after the firm received a retail customer complaint about warm product temperatures at the point of delivery on October 1, 2026. The establishment determined that it had stored various ready-to-eat products in a warehouse cooler that experienced temperature deviations.

Kayem's own release, dated October 16, 2026, describes the action as a voluntary recall of 'fully cooked meat and poultry products' that were 'stored and shipped between June 7, 2026, and October 14, 2026.' The company attributes the event to 'a cooling system malfunction at one of the company's warehouses that resulted in storage temperature deviations.'

The two sources give different date windows. FSIS says the items were produced approximately March 31, 2026 to October 7, 2026. Those are production dates, not storage dates. Kayem's release describes storage and shipping between June 7 and October 14, 2026. The notices do not explain why the two windows differ, and the sources do not supply a reason.

What changed

The change is the recall itself. FSIS lists it as recall 026-2026, classified High, Class I, with distribution listed as nationwide. The reason field reads 'Processing Defect.' That is FSIS's reason label for the recall record. It is distinct from the cause described in the notices, which is temperature abuse during storage linked to a warehouse cooler, so the two should not be read as the same thing.

According to FSIS, the products were shipped to retail and foodservice locations nationwide and to Hong Kong. The names of retailers, any Hong Kong importer or retailer, and the number of packages were not disclosed.

Who is affected

Kayem's affected-SKU list, which is the source for the nine-brand breakdown below, has 68 rows across nine brands: Kayem (23), Al Fresco (18), McKenzie (17), Triple M (3), Deutschmacher (2), Jordan's (2), Genoa (1), Essem (1) and Winnisimmet (1). Each row lists a UPC and a best-before date range.

FSIS says the products bear the establishment numbers 'EST. M/P 7839,' 'EST. P 20935A' and 'EST. M 9520' inside the USDA mark of inspection.

What is the Kayem Fenway Franks recall covering in 2026?

The Kayem Fenway Franks 14 oz, UPC 003077101114, is on the affected list with a best-before range of 10/22/2026 to 10/29/2026. The FSIS product list adds lot numbers 26-210 (marked exp. 2026-10-22) and 26-217 (marked exp. 2026-10-29).

What Al Fresco chicken sausage products are in the recall?

Eighteen Al Fresco SKUs are on the list. Examples include Al Fresco Sweet Apple Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage 11 oz (UPC 003077102637, best-before 07/22/2026 to 12/25/2026), Al Fresco Spinach & Feta Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage 11 oz (UPC 003077102631, 08/13/2026 to 12/13/2026) and Al Fresco Apple Maple Breakfast Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage Links 7.5 oz (UPC 003077102667, 08/04/2026 to 12/22/2026).

Which McKenzie bacon products are included?

Seventeen McKenzie SKUs are on the list. One listed example is McKenzie Cob Smoked Uncured Bacon 12 oz, UPC 003077109544, with a best-before range of 08/02/2026 to 11/25/2026. Check the full list rather than relying on the brand name, because the affected rows are defined by UPC and date range.

Where can I find the full Kayem recall list by UPC?

The complete Kayem affected-SKU list is a 68-row PDF. Other examples include Kayem Beef & Pork Hot Dogs 14 oz (UPC 003077101111, 08/23/2026 to 10/27/2026) and Kayem Small Batch Slow Smoked Applewood Thick Cut Bacon 12 oz (UPC 003077101402, 06/29/2026 to 12/21/2026). Essem Frankfurters 5 lb (UPC 003077109816, 10/22/2026 to 10/29/2026) and Triple M Fully Cooked Ham Steak Water Added (UPC 003077102981, 10/25/2026) are also listed. FSIS's product list pairs lot numbers and manufacturing dates with each SKU.

What it means for shoppers

A practical check compares the package against the published list. Look at these details:

• The brand and item description, matched against the Kayem SKU list.
• The UPC, matched exactly to a listed row rather than to the brand name alone.
• The lot code and best-before date, compared with the FSIS product list where a lot is printed.
• The establishment number 'EST. M/P 7839,' 'EST. P 20935A' or 'EST. M 9520' inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The FSIS product list pairs lot numbers and manufacturing dates with each SKU, so the lot code is the most specific check when one is printed on the package. Home storage is a separate question. FDA advises keeping the refrigerator at or below 40 F (4 C), as described in its consumer guidance on storing food safely. That is a reference point for storage at home and does not change what the recall says about these products.

Is it safe to eat recalled Kayem hot dogs if they are cooked?

No. FSIS does not say that cooking makes these products safe, and it urges consumers not to eat them. The agency instructs that the products be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Kayem's recall release advises disposal. The sources do not give a separate instruction for cooked product.

Is there a refund for the Kayem recall?

Refund terms were not disclosed beyond the instruction to return products to the place of purchase. Kayem's customer service line is 800-426-6100, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.

What does temperature abuse mean in a meat recall?

FSIS uses the phrase to describe products that may have been held outside intended temperature conditions during storage. In this recall, the agency did not disclose what temperatures the products reached or for how long. FSIS's Danger Zone guidance describes the 40°F to 140°F range, in which bacteria can grow rapidly, which is why storage temperature matters in a recall like this one.

The background

Kayem Foods is based in Chelsea, Mass. FSIS describes the products as ready-to-eat, and Kayem describes them as fully cooked meat and poultry products. The recall covers a wide range of packaged items, from hot dogs and sausages to bacon, ham and turkey.

The sequence of events runs from a retail complaint on October 1, 2026, to Kayem's release on October 16, 2026, and then to the FSIS announcement on October 17, 2026. The company's release came one day before the federal notice.

For other recent recalls in the food-safety category, see Starfish Smoked Salmon Listeria Recall: Check Lot D080-148 and Salata Jalapeno Avocado Dressing Salmonella Recall Now Class I. Those notices involve different hazards, so the Kayem recall should be read on its own terms.

The evidence has clear limits. The public notices do not establish whether any individual package was affected, how warm the products became, how long they were held, or whether any product was tested for Listeria or other pathogens. FSIS cites temperature abuse as the basis for the recall, and it reports no confirmed illnesses, but these facts cannot show how any single household's product was affected.

What to watch next

FSIS has said that retail distribution lists will be posted at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls when available. Those lists would show where the products were sold, which the current notices do not name.

Shoppers should also watch the best-before dates on the affected list. The Triple M ham steak is listed with a single date of 10/25/2026, while several Al Fresco rows run into December 2026 and the McKenzie bacon example runs to 11/25/2026.

Open questions include the temperatures reached, the duration of the deviations, and whether any pathogen testing was done. None of these were disclosed in the notices. Updates from FSIS would appear on its recall page, and Kayem's customer service contact details appear in its release.

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Related reading: Are Trader Joe's Chicken Wraps Recalled? Pulled After E. coli Link.