The "best by" dates stretch from this month all the way into 2028—and E. coli and "foreign matter" contamination are among the named reasons.
News of the latest food recalls can be easy to miss. But as we return to our pre-holiday routines and stock our freezers for future meals, now is a perfect time to be aware of three recent recall alerts. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), more than 10,000 pounds of meat products were recently pulled after three separate December 2025 recalls were issued—each at the highest health risk level.
The largest recall involves about 6,000 pounds of Lorraine Quiche products containing pork produced by Maître Saladier Inc. in Quebec, Canada. The FSIS said the products were never presented for required U.S. import reinspection and do not carry a USDA mark of inspection. The quiches were shipped to distributors in five states—Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas—and have long expiration dates extending into 2028, raising concern they may still be stored in freezers.
In a second recall, roughly 2,855 pounds of raw ground beef produced by Mountain West Food Group in Idaho were flagged after routine FSIS testing detected E. coli O26, a harmful strain of bacteria. While no illnesses had been confirmed as of December 27, this type of E. coli can cause severe stomach illness and, in rare cases, kidney failure—especially in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. The beef, sold in 16-ounce packages and marked with a best by date of January 13, 2026, was distributed to retailers across six states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The third recall affects 1,930 pounds of ready-to-eat holiday kielbasa from Olympia Provisions in Oregon. The fully cooked sausage—sold in vacuum-sealed, 16-ounce packages with a best by date of February 19, 2026—may contain metal fragments, posing a physical injury risk. The product was sold both in stores in California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as online nationwide.
Though the reasons for the recalls differ by product, all are listed as Class I events by the FSIS, meaning the agency believes each is “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The FSIS urges consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers immediately for the affected products. Any recalled food should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase, even if they appear safe to eat.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
- Thousands of Tea Bags Recalled in 7 States and Puerto Rico Due to Possible Contamination
- More Than 22,000 Cartons of Juice Have Been Recalled Due to Contamination From a Cleaning Solution
- Another Common Heart Medication Has Been Recalled Nationwide
- A Classic Holiday Cookie Has Been Recalled in One State with Potentially Life-Threatening Warnings
