Food Recalls 2026: Kayem Meat, Jasmine Rice, Vegan Butter Pulled

A fall of recalls across every aisle

October 2026 brought new recalls of meat, white rice, plant-based butter, cheese, medicine and baby gear. The largest single action came on Oct. 17. That day the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Kayem Foods, a Chelsea, Massachusetts meat processor, was recalling about 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry because the products may have been stored at unsafe temperatures.17 Coverage of the recall says it covers hot dogs, deli meats, bacon and sausages distributed nationwide and to Hong Kong. Among the items named are some Kayem Fenway Franks.19 Walmart said the products reached its stores in eight Northeastern states, from Connecticut to Vermont.20

At the same time, the FDA raised its risk rating for older recalls that many shoppers may have forgotten. The agency classified Miyoko's Creamery European Style Salted Plant Milk Butter as a Class II recall on Oct. 23, more than a month after the company began recalling it on Sept. 11.2 The recall covers 1,304 cases, or 7,824 individual packages, sold in 10 states, from Connecticut to Wisconsin, over possible yeast, mold and E. coli contamination.2 The FDA also updated an ongoing recall of 27,324 two-pound bags of Lundberg Family Farms Regenerative Organic Certified White Jasmine Rice that may contain foreign material. The rice was sold in 12 states. Lundberg says it took the product off shelves months ago and has had no reports of illness.11

Here is the main point. These products were recalled at different times by different companies for different reasons. What they share is a gap between the moment a problem is found and the moment most consumers hear about it. That gap is the real consumer-safety story of this fall.

Meat: cold-chain failures and fake inspection marks

The Kayem case shows how a single storage problem can cause a large recall. According to FSIS, a retail customer complained on Oct. 1 that product arrived warm. The company then found that a warehouse cooler had gone through temperature swings.17 Reports do not agree on how long the affected period lasted. FSIS says the products were made from about March 31 to Oct. 7, 2026.17 Another account says the products were stored and shipped between June 7 and Oct. 14.19 Shoppers should go by the federal establishment numbers rather than either date range. Those are "EST. M/P 7839," "EST. P 20935A" and "EST. M 9520" inside the USDA inspection mark.14 No illnesses had been confirmed when the recall was announced.19

The more worrying meat recalls are about fraud, not contamination. On Sept. 22, Star Meat Delivery of Lucama, North Carolina, recalled about 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat. The meat had never been federally inspected but carried labels with a false USDA mark.14 It was shipped nationwide under the A&D Foods label to stores and restaurants and bore the fake establishment number "EST. 1363."11 On Oct. 24, FSIS announced a similar but much smaller case: Imperio Distribution of Elgin, Illinois, recalled about 946 pounds of beef jerky made without inspection and labeled with an unauthorized USDA mark.14 Earlier in October, FSIS also warned about canned chicken Vienna-style sausages illegally imported from Jamaica, which is not approved to export meat to the U.S.14

In our view, these inspection-mark cases matter more than their size suggests. The USDA seal is the main thing shoppers use to judge whether meat is safe. When that seal can be faked and the meat still reaches stores across the country, the label cannot be fully trusted.

Produce and dairy: outbreaks set the pace

The biggest food-safety event of the year still frames everything else. That was the Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce recall, tied to a Cyclospora outbreak. Quartz reports that the outbreak sickened thousands and killed two people in Michigan. It also reports that the lettuce went into Walmart's Marketside products and into ingredients used by Subway and Taco Bell.18 Counts of where the lettuce went differ. One FDA-based tracker lists 27 states, while Quartz says FDA reporting showed more than 30.1618 Quartz argues that 2026's most important recalls began as outbreak investigations, not routine quality checks. As a result, many notices came after the food had already been eaten.18 We agree. Raw produce has no cooking step to kill germs, so a recall is the only protection left.18

October added more dairy problems. Family Farmstead Dairy of Worcester, New York, recalled one lot of raw mild cheddar for possible Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.5 Early news reports named the strain as E. coli O157:H7.8 The company later corrected its notice to say the strains were O26:H11 and O45:H2, and it also corrected where the cheese was sold.5 Allrecipes reports that this recall has not been tied to a separate multistate outbreak linked to another raw-milk cheese maker.8 On Oct. 2, the FDA also issued a Class I recall of organic blueberry and mixed-berry blends sold under the Great Value and Trader Joe's labels over E. coli O145:H28.1

Medicine cabinets: superpotent, subpotent, nonsterile

Drug recalls this month followed the same pattern of late warnings. More than 4.85 million packages of K.C. Pharmaceuticals eye drops, sold at Walmart, Walgreens and Kroger, were recalled because the company could not guarantee they were sterile. The recall started in early September and received a Class II rating on Oct. 5.3 Another report says the recall covers 27 brands, including Target's up&up, Publix and Clear Eyes.4 Amazon-brand extra-strength acetaminophen was recalled after customers reported discolored tablets. More than 100,000 bottles were recalled, starting Sept. 18.23

Two recalls involved the wrong amount of active drug. Viatris recalled 21,620 bottles of a telmisartan-amlodipine blood pressure pill because they contained more telmisartan than specified. The FDA rated it Class III, its lowest risk level.30 The FDA also advised patients not to stop the drug abruptly, because stopping could be more harmful.30 Major Pharmaceuticals recalled certain lots of levothyroxine, a thyroid drug, after testing found the tablets may deliver less hormone than labeled. That recall was rated Class II.26

The largest drug recall involved animals, not people. Wedgewood Pharmacy recalled compounded veterinary medicines shipped between Feb. 18 and Oct. 6 after it found that some of its own lab testing data were unreliable.27 USA Today reports that about 4,000 products are involved and that the company has received 98 complaints, seven of which it calls serious.28 A Class I supplement recall shows how slow the process can be. RAPTURE Pre Workout, found to contain the banned stimulant DMAA, was recalled on June 25 but was not classified until Oct. 2.7

Baby products and the online marketplace problem

The infant-product recalls this month look different. Many involve small online sellers. On Oct. 8, about 2,140 ONTHEWEI baby bath seats were recalled because they can tip over and pose a drowning risk. They were sold on Amazon in April 2026.45 Papablic recalled about 248 bedside sleepers whose mattress can shift and trap a baby.47 Chillife's Montessori teether set was recalled after four choking incidents. Buyers are offered only a partial refund of $5.40.46

The CPSC's warnings about sellers who will not cooperate are more alarming. The agency told parents to stop using Bblüv Grow high chairs because the maker has not agreed to an acceptable fix. It also said Mbabyjon crib bumpers break the federal ban under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act and that the seller did not answer its recall request.41 A related product hit infants another way: Pacific Health Sciences recalled Babies' Magic Tea Baby Sleep Gripe Water over undeclared ethanol, methanol and isopropanol.45 Records disagree on which lot is affected. One FDA enforcement listing gives lot 25009CP, while the company's notice as reported names lot 25122bw.145 Parents should check both numbers.

When the CPSC can only issue a warning and has no company to carry out a recall, it falls to consumers to find and destroy these products. We think that is the weakest point in the U.S. recall system right now.

Vehicles: do-not-drive orders and fire risks

Vehicle recalls were just as busy. Toyota is recalling 105,794 Land Cruiser Hybrids from model years 2024–2027 because a fuel tube can disconnect and leak, which raises fire risk. Dealers will fix it free.35 Hyundai's Genesis recall covers 94,622 sedans from 2015–2020 whose seat motors can overheat. NHTSA advises owners to park outside until a fix is ready.34 Porsche and Subaru issued do-not-drive warnings. Porsche's covers wheels that can come off. Subaru's applies to just eight 2026 Crosstrek and Forester SUVs with a front ball joint nut that may not have been tightened properly.3133 Ford is recalling 102,159 F-Series trucks because the speedometer and tachometer can fail.33

The bottom line

For the first half of October, one tracker counted 53 federal recall events: 22 vehicle campaigns, 20 consumer products and 11 food recalls.9 Recalls keep coming, so the useful advice is the same as ever. Check lot codes, establishment numbers and VINs against official notices, and do not assume a recall is old news because it started weeks ago. This month's FDA classifications show that a product's official risk rating often arrives after it has already been in your home.