A New York-based food processing company has recalled nearly 19,000 pounds of sausage, sliced meat, and poultry products.
Smith Packing, LLC, issued the recall due to sodium nitrite levels that exceeded regulatory limits, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (FSIS).
Why It Matters
According to FSIS guidelines, sodium nitrite is used to preserve meat and poultry products while also inhibiting bacterial growth. However, consuming products with sodium nitrite levels that exceed regulatory limits may pose health risks.
The recall was classified as a Class I recall, which indicates “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
What to Know
The affected items, produced between February 19 and April 24, 2025, bear the establishment number “EST. 4578” or “P-4578” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The products were distributed to institutions and retail locations across New York.
Smith Packaging notified FSIS after receiving consumer complaints about the product’s taste and color.
As of Tuesday, there had been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of the recalled items.
FSIS warned that some of the affected products could still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.
The specific products affected by the recall are listed below:
| Brand Name | Product Name | Package Type | Package Size (lbs) | Use By/Sell By |
| As-Salaam | Beef Breakfast Sausage | Box | 40 | 03/10/2026-4/28/2026 |
| As-Salaam | Beef Frank 8/1 Halal | Pouch | 1 | 03/19/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Smith Packing | Beef Knockwurst | Pouch | 5 | 02/25/2026-4/28/2026 |
| As-Salaam | Beef Smoked Sausage 5/1 | Pouch | 6 | 03/25/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Honest John | Bratwurst 5/1 | Pouch | 1.5 | 03/31/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Honest John | Breakfast Sausage/Brown and Serve | Pouch | 1 | 03/05/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Smith Packing | Export Beef Franks 6/1 | Box | 10 | 02/24/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Smith Packing | Export Bologna | Box | 12 | 04/10/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Smith Packing | Export Salami | Box | 12 | 03/06/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Honest John | HJ Jumbo Franks 8/1 | Pouch | Various | 05/10/2025-6/12/2025 |
| Honest John | HJ Polish Sausage | Pouch | 1 | 03/24/2026-4/28/2026 |
| As-Salaam | Hot Roasted Chicken Sausage Garlic 5/1 | Pouch | 1 | 04/02/2026-4/28/2026 |
| As-Salaam | Roasted Chicken Sausage Garlic 5/1 | Pouch | 1 | 04/09/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Smith Packing | NYS Beef Bologna | Pouch | 1 | 03/18/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Beefland USA | Regular Beef Sausage 5/1 | Pouch | 1 | 02/19/2026-4/28/2026 |
| Honest John | Retail HJ Polish | Pouch | 1 | 03/03/2026-4/28/2026 |
A spokesperson for Palmer Foods, the primary distributor of the potentially affected product, told Newsweek: “Palmer Foods discovered on April 24 that certain products produced by its vendor, Smith Packing in Utica, were inedible.
Smith immediately shut down production, notified the USDA, and discovered that the products contained an excessive amount of a curing agent.
“In coordination with the USDA, Smith agreed to a recall of approximately 18,000 pounds of meat products labeled Honest John’s, As-Salam, and Beefland that could have been affected.
Approximately 90% of that product never left the warehouse, and 34 customers were identified as receiving potentially inedible meat. Palmer is working with those customers to recover and destroy any potentially contaminated products.”
What Happens Next?
Consumers and institutions in possession of recalled products are advised not to consume them. They are encouraged to discard or return them to the place where they were purchased.
