Is Al Fresco Chicken Sausage Recalled? What Is on the Kayem Recall List (2026)
The short answer
You keep a pack of Al Fresco chicken sausage in the freezer for fast weeknight dinners. Yes, 11 flavors of it are on the recall list.
On October 17, 2026, the USDA said Kayem Foods is recalling about 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry that "may have experienced temperature abuse" in a warehouse cooler. Kayem's own list names 18 Al Fresco items.
No one is confirmed sick. Match the UPC on your pack tonight. If it is listed, throw it out.
You picked it because the front said chicken and all natural. No shame in that. Nothing on the front said a word about a warm cooler.
What this guide answers
What else in your kitchen came through a chain you never saw?
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Which Al Fresco items are on the Kayem recall list?
Quick answer: 18 of them. Eleven flavors of chicken sausage, plus breakfast links, patties, meatballs and a turkey breast.
Al Fresco looks like its own little brand. Its website says it is "proudly owned by Kayem Foods Inc."
Go get the pack out of the freezer. Find the UPC, the long number under the bar code.
Kayem's own list gives every recalled item with its UPC. The 11 ounce Sweet Apple chicken sausage is listed as 003077102637. On the pack, look for 30771 02637.
The 18 Al Fresco items, by name
| Al Fresco item | Flavors on the list | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken sausage | Sweet Apple, Sweet Italian, Spinach and Feta, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Pepper and Asiago, Spicy Jalapeno, Smoked Andouille, Applewood Smoked, Caramelized Onion and Cheddar, Hot Honey, Cranberry Sage | 11 ounces |
| Breakfast links and patties | Country and Apple Maple, in both links and patties | 7.5 ounce links, 7 ounce patties |
| Meatballs and turkey | Tomato and Basil meatballs, Italian Style meatballs, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast | 12 ounce meatballs |
Sweet Apple best before dates run from July 22 to December 25, 2026. So a pack can be in date and still be on the list.
The same list has Kayem hot dogs and bacon. It has McKenzie ham, bacon and turkey breast, and Triple M and Deutschmacher hams.
What does "temperature abuse" mean for the pack in my freezer?
Quick answer: it may have been kept too warm before it ever got to you. Freezing it at home does not take it off the list.
You want dinner on the table fast on a weeknight. That is a fair thing to want. The problem is what happened in Kayem's warehouse first.
Kayem's notice, dated October 16, blames "a cooling system malfunction" at one of its warehouses. It calls this a "recent discovery."
The USDA notice says how it came to light. On October 1, 2026, a store complained that its delivery of meat was warm.
And so the problem was caught by the store, at the delivery.
The dates run long. The USDA says the meat was made from about March 31 to October 7, 2026.
Food Safety News reported that some of it has a long shelf life. It says the USDA is worried some may be in your fridge or freezer.
The front still says all natural. The brand's website says "ALL NATURAL. NONE OF THE NASTIES." No pack in your freezer says how cold that warehouse was.
What if I already cooked it for dinner?
Quick answer: no illness has been confirmed. Throw out what is left, and call Kayem if you are not sure about a pack.
You put it on the table for the people you love. That is the part that stings.
You bought it in good faith, before anyone said a word.
The USDA says there are "no confirmed reports of illness." It says anyone worried about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Then deal with what is left. The USDA urges you not to eat it. Throw it out.
Not sure about a pack? Call Kayem at 800-426-6100. The line is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.
Has Kayem recalled Al Fresco sausage before?
Quick answer: yes, over pieces of plastic. In July 2025, Kayem recalled about 24,173 pounds of Al Fresco Sweet Apple chicken sausage.
Georgia's agriculture department posted that USDA notice. It says the company got "three consumer complaints reporting white pieces of plastic."
That sausage came from plant P-7839. This fall's recall carries plant 7839 too.
Here are both recalls side by side. The last column is the fair part.
| What happened | The concern | Named authority and date | What it does NOT mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 24,173 pounds of Al Fresco Sweet Apple chicken sausage recalled | White pieces of plastic, reported in 3 shopper complaints | USDA notice, July 2025 | No confirmed injuries |
| About 1,584,361 pounds of Kayem ready-to-eat meat recalled | May have experienced temperature abuse in storage | USDA Recall 026-2026, October 17, 2026 | No confirmed illness |
| 18 Al Fresco items on Kayem's list | Best before dates as late as December 26, 2026 | Kayem Foods notice, October 16, 2026 | Kayem says it has "corrected the issue" |
Is there a case for Kayem?
Quick answer: yes, a fair one. No one is confirmed sick, and Kayem says its "management team takes full responsibility."
One. There are no confirmed reports of illness.
Two. Kayem called it a voluntary recall, made "out of an abundance of caution." Its CEO, Matt Monkiewicz, apologized. He said the company will "not allow this to happen again."
So why does it still sit wrong with me?
Because both times, the warning came from outside. A store got warm meat at delivery. The year before, it was three shopper complaints about plastic.
This sausage comes fully cooked. You warm it and eat it. And so you are trusting every cooler between that plant and your plate.
Where do I get chicken sausage I can trust?
Quick answer: from a farm near you, from a farmer whose name you know.
The trouble is the chain. A plant in Chelsea, Massachusetts, a warehouse cooler, a truck, a store shelf, your freezer. Nobody in that line ever has to answer to you by name.
So make the chain short. Find one farm near you that raises chickens. Get to know the farmer.
Call this week. Ask how the birds are raised. Ask who makes the sausage, and how it stays cold until you pick it up.
Buy a few packs and freeze them yourself. Then you know where it has been.
A farm can get it wrong too. But you can call the farmer and ask.
Shannon's Advice
Straight talk from ShannonI do not call them grocery stores. They are poison centers meant to do you and your family harm. It is not just the brands who are doing the harm, it is the stores themselves. They allow these toxic products on their shelves. People are sick and dying. This is a very serious matter. How can we ever trust them again?
We can't trust them. That is where Switch to America comes in. We are a new supply chain, built on family values, trust and affordability.
You do not have to take my word for it. The proof is in my blog posts, the recalls, the lawsuits and the fines, and in the app I built called The Family Home Toxic Scorecard. Also, inside my Switch Circle private community, we talk about real solutions.
Women come to me exhausted, in pain, stressed out, and on a list of prescriptions they never wanted. I have spent over 20 years helping women get off prescription medications. I help families reclaim their health.
We cannot stop them. I have stopped expecting to. However, we can stop walking into their stores. We are linking arms and together taking our control back. Control of our health and our finances.
Start by clicking the link below and taking the SCAN.
The receipts
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Recall 026-2026, October 17, 2026. Class I. About 1,584,361 pounds of Kayem ready-to-eat meat and poultry that "may have experienced temperature abuse during storage." No confirmed illness. What it means: a pack you bought in good faith this summer or fall can be on it.
- Kayem Foods, recall notice, October 16, 2026. Blames "a cooling system malfunction" at one of its warehouses. Covers items stored and shipped June 7 to October 14, 2026. What it means: the problem was in its warehouse, not your kitchen.
- Kayem Foods, list of recalled items. Every item by brand, size, UPC and best before dates. What it means: this is the list to hold your pack up against.
- Food Safety News, October 17, 2026. Some items "have long shelf life" and may be in "refrigerators or freezers." What it means: check the freezer drawer first.
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, posting the USDA's July 2025 Kayem recall. About 24,173 pounds of Al Fresco Sweet Apple chicken sausage, plant P-7839, after "three consumer complaints reporting white pieces of plastic." What it means: the same plant number, recalled twice in about 15 months.
Who do you become?
You become the one who knows the farmer behind the sausage in your freezer.
It is a Tuesday night in November. Chicken and peppers sizzle in the pan, and the kitchen smells like dinner.
You are not digging through the freezer drawer for a UPC. You know where this chicken came from, because you asked.
It started with one pack in one freezer drawer.
You checked one freezer drawer. Now check the rest of the house.
That pack came through a chain you never got to see. The free scan looks at the rest of your house in about three minutes. It tells you what to swap first. It is free because your own shelves tell you more than I can. It asks for your first name and cell, and texts your score once. A paid report is offered after. Skip it if you like.
Take the free home scanNothing to buy to see your score.
What else do people ask?
Can I still eat it if I froze it right away?
No. The recall is about how it was stored before it got to you. The USDA urges you not to eat these items. Throw them out.
Is the Al Fresco turkey breast recalled too?
Yes. Al Fresco Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, UPC 075887809674, is on Kayem's list. So are four McKenzie turkey breasts. If yours was sliced for you and has no UPC, call Kayem at 800-426-6100.
Is my holiday ham on the list?
It might be, if it is a Kayem brand. The list has McKenzie, Triple M, Deutschmacher and Genoa hams. Some McKenzie hams carry best before dates into 2027. You caught the sausage. You will catch this too.