Bacon, hot dogs and deli meats recalled: everything you need to know

Don’t light that breakfast griddle yet – your bacon could be in danger. On Oct. 17, Kayem Foods Inc. issued a recall regarding more than 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat products that may have been stored at improper temperatures, according to an announcement from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). This includes bacon, deli meats, poultry and more, with a long list of potentially affected products that may be in your fridge right now.

Keep reading to learn more about affected products and what to do if you have them.

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What is included in the Kayem Foods meat recall?

Kayem Foods, Inc. has recalled several meats because they may have suffered temperature abuse during storage prior to delivery. The issue was discovered after a retail customer complained about the product’s high temperature on October 1, after which an investigation was conducted.

The investigation determined that a range of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products were stored in a warehouse walk-in cooler with temperature inconsistencies that made them potentially unsafe to consume. Cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the FSIS – anything above this temperature can lead to spoilage and bacteria growth, potentially causing food poisoning or other illnesses.

Inside the USDA inspection seal, the recalled products bear the establishment numbers “EST. M/P 7839″, “EST. P 20935A” and “EST. M 9520”. The products were manufactured approximately between March 31 and October 7 and shipped to retailers nationwide and in Hong Kong. The list includes hot dogs, bacon, turkey breast (deli meats), corned beef, chicken sausages and more. You can view the full list of recalled products here and check if you have any (there is also an abbreviated list with images). Consumers can also contact Kayem Foods customer service Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at 800-426-6100 or email them at info@kayem.com.

What to do if you have recalled meat?

If your meat has been recalled, you should throw it away. Alternatively, the FSIS recommends returning it to the place of purchase, but especially emphasizes that consumers should not consume the meat.

Even when cooked to an appropriate temperature, there is no way to guarantee the safety of the meat, nor can you tell just by looking at it. “One of the most important things consumers need to understand is that you cannot reliably determine whether a food is safe by looking at it, smelling it or tasting it,” Melissa Vaccaro, senior food safety program specialist at the National Environmental Health Association, told NBC Selected in our guide to food safety during a power outage. “Foods can contain disease-causing microorganisms without looking or smelling spoiled. And never taste questionable foods to decide if they are safe.”

The best products to keep your meat safe

There are products that can help you maintain the temperature of your meat during storage and preparation. Please remember that these are not solutions to official recall warnings and all contaminated products should be thrown away or returned – not consumed. However, the products below can help you preserve non-recalled foods and ensure that your the preservation method allows it to be eaten safely.

Digital thermometers can alert you to temperature changes in your refrigerator or freezer that can cause food to spoil. This thermometer includes a refrigerator thermometer and a freezer thermometer, each sending real-time readings to the LCD screen, depending on the brand. The LCD screen has a magnetic bracket for mounting on the front of a refrigerator and a foldable bracket for countertop placement, and also includes a programmable alarm. This can be particularly useful for alerting you to dropping temperatures if the power goes out overnight, giving you the option of moving your food into a cooler or cooler bag.

Insulated grocery bags are perfect for keeping your food cold or frozen when you return from the store, and these lightweight bags can keep food cold or hot for up to an hour and a half, depending on the brand. They’re also collapsible, making them easy to store and can hold up to 25 pounds of groceries in each bag.

You can use these ice packs to keep food and other contents cold for up to 48 hours, according to Cooler Shock. Once you add water and freeze them, the nylon exterior holds up over time, so you won’t need to restock the ice. It’s ideal for coolers and totes and comes in packs of three or five in various sizes. They’re ideal if you’re going to the beach or pool and want to bring sandwiches, hot dogs, or other foods that need to be kept at a certain temperature to be safe to eat.

Although cooking recalled meat will not make it edible, a meat thermometer is handy for ensuring that non-recalled meat and poultry are cooked to a safe temperature. This one lets you read temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius and has an LCD screen with large numbers, making it easy to read, depending on the brand. It also includes a storage storage sleeve, which has a protein temperature chart on the side for reference while cooking.

Why trust NBC Selected?

I’m an associate SEO reporter for NBC Selected and have been covering various topics for over two years. I frequently report on skincare news, as well as weekly reports on sales and deals from leading brands and retailers. For this article, I researched the Kayem Foods Inc. meat products recall to find out everything you need to know about its recent recall.