Food recalls tied to meat and poultry products can quickly become national news because USDA Class I notices are reserved for the agency’s most serious risk category. That is the case with a July 24, 2026 recall involving imported bacon distributed in the Pacific Northwest, where federal officials said consumers should not eat the affected product.
Maple Leaf Foods recalled about 12,036 pounds of smoked bacon
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said on July 24, 2026 that Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., based in Lisle, Illinois, is recalling approximately 12,036 pounds of not ready-to-eat smoked bacon product. FSIS classified the action as a Class I recall, which the agency defines as a health hazard situation in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. The agency said the bacon was imported from Canada without the benefit of import reinspection into the United States.
The recalled items were produced on June 9, June 10, June 12, June 13, and June 15, 2026, according to the FSIS notice cited by local public health agencies. The products are 12-ounce vacuum packages of “Royale Natural Applewood Smoked ALL NATURAL Uncured Bacon Product of Canada” with sell-by dates of September 1, 2026 and September 7, 2026. Also included are 12-ounce vacuum packages of “TOP VALU Uncured Hardwood Smoked Bacon PRODUCT OF CANADA” with sell-by dates of September 1, September 2, September 4, September 5, and September 7, 2026.
FSIS said the recalled product bears Canadian establishment number “EST. 1” on the side of the package, and master case boxes carry health certificate number “2026-S732971612.” The source material provided for this article did not include a UPC code, and no separate FDA-style recall number was listed in the available USDA recall notice. Because this is a USDA-FSIS meat recall rather than an FDA enforcement report, the public notice identifies the action by agency recall classification and company announcement rather than by an FDA recall number.
Idaho, Oregon, and Washington are the confirmed distribution states
The distribution area confirmed by FSIS is limited to three states: Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Federal officials said the bacon was shipped to Grocery Outlet distributors and retailers in those states. The available notice does not identify individual store addresses, city-level distribution, or how many locations in each state received product.
That leaves some local details unresolved for shoppers across the region. Maple Leaf Foods and FSIS have not released a comprehensive list of affected Idaho, Oregon, or Washington stores in the source material provided here. No other states were named in the official distribution summary cited by the recall coverage and public health reposts.
For consumers, the USDA’s guidance is direct and specific. FSIS said it is concerned that some of the product may still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers and urged people not to consume it. The agency said the bacon should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase, which matches the instruction repeated in the recall notice and in local government food recall listings.
The issue was import reinspection, not a newly reported illness outbreak
The reason for the recall was procedural but significant: the smoked bacon entered U.S. commerce without the required import reinspection, according to FSIS. In practical terms, that means the product was not presented for the federal review required before imported meat products can be cleared into the U.S. market. USDA uses recalls in these situations because meat and poultry inspection compliance is a legal food safety requirement, even when a notice does not report contamination findings.
The source material did not report any confirmed illnesses or injuries tied to this recall as of the July 24 announcement. It also described the bacon as not ready-to-eat, an important distinction because that category carries handling and cooking requirements that differ from fully cooked products. Even so, the Class I designation means USDA treated the matter as its highest recall category under federal food safety definitions.
For shoppers in the affected states, the most immediate impact is product identification and disposal or return. Consumers should expect retailers and distributors to remove affected packages from sale as recall effectiveness checks move forward, a standard step in FSIS recalls. As of the official announcement date, the verified public facts remain the product names, package size, production dates, sell-by dates, establishment number, and the three-state distribution footprint.