Hot dogs, sausages shipped to Long Island among 1.5M pounds of recalled meat

More than 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are being recalled across the United States, including on Long Island, because of potentially unsafe storage temperatures.

Chelsea, Massachusetts, food producer Kayem Foods Inc. is recalling several brands of hot dogs, sausages and other meat products manufactured between March 31 and Oct. 7. The recall includes products shipped to Long Island, a Kayem spokesperson confirmed to Newsday.

A cooler malfunction led to the improper storage temperatures. Kayem learned about the problem on Oct. 1 after a retail customer complained the products were delivered warm, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The company issued the voluntary recall on Friday.

Kayem products are available at several local grocery stores, according to the company's store locator, including Walmart, Stop & Shop and ShopRite. The recall applies to products under several brand names, including Al Fresco, McKenzie and Essem. Consumers can identify products that may be affected by the recall by the establishment numbers EST. M/P 7839, EST. P 20935A and EST. M 9520 inside the USDA's inspection seal.

The USDA urges consumers not to eat the recalled products and to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Consumers can check the USDA recall notice for a list of affected products and labels.

"Our business depends on providing consumers with safe food of the highest quality," Kayem Foods president and CEO Matt Monkiewicz wrote in a news release. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are undertaking this voluntary recall."

No confirmed reports of illness have resulted from the recalled products, according to the USDA.

This is not the first time stores have pulled Kayem products from shelves. Last year, Kayem recalled more than 24,000 pounds of chicken sausage because the products might have been contaminated with pieces of plastic.