Check Your Freezer: Johnsonville Recalls 35,000 Pounds of Turkey Kielbasa Sausage Nationwide

If you've recently gone to the grocery store to stock up on barbecue ingredients, it's time to check your fridge. 

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Salm Partners is voluntarily recalling more than 35,000 pounds of Johnsonville turkey kielbasa sausage, which may be contaminated with foreign materials. The FSIS specifically noted that the meat may be contaminated with pieces of rubber. 

According to the recall announcement, the turkey kielbasa sausages were produced between Oct. 30-31, 2023, and include the following products: 12-oz. vacuum-packed packages containing a single piece of "Johnsonville Polish Kielbasa Turkey" sausage, and display best by dates of "05/17/24" and "05/18/24," which customers can find printed on the side of the packaging. The products also have the establishment number "P-32009" printed on the packaging. The items were shipped to retailers across the nation. 

The issue was first discovered by consumers, who reached out to the company to report the issue. However, to date, there have been no confirmed reports of injury or reactions to consuming the products. 

If you purchased the Johnsonville turkey kielbasa sausage, the FSIS says you should either throw it away or return it to the retailer where you purchased it. 

In 2023, the company posted a similar voluntary recall (an important distinction, as the FDA notes, a voluntary recall is an "action that takes place because manufacturers and distributors carry out their responsibility to protect the public health," rather than being requested by the FDA or FSIS) of 42,000 pounds of its Beddar with Cheddar dinner sausage links. At the time, the company noted it recalled the sausage links after a consumer discovered a "small, black, flexible thread-like material found in a link." The company also noted that "the total amount of product affected in the recall is small in scope: a total of 4,807 cases (or 42,062 pounds)," meaning this one is relatively small in the company's mind as well. But still. Go ahead and check your fridge in case.