Nearly 18,000 Pounds of Meat Recalled in 3 States

One analysis published more than a decade ago suggested at that time, more than half of food recalls typically took place due to labeling errors. These days, the nature of recalls are different: Contamination concerns are a dominant theme, whether from microbial exposure or the presence of foreign matter.

And if winter’s your season for hearty comfort food, or dishes like gumbo and jambalaya are on this coming weekend’s Super Bowl party menu, it’s worth knowing about a recall that surfaced over this past weekend. On January 31, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of more than 17,500 pounds of meat. The product—namely, Cajun-style sausages—was found to contain an unexpected ingredient.

As the FSIS reports, DJ’s Boudain, LLC, a southeast Texas company, “is recalling approximately 17,720 pounds of boudain sausage link products that may be contaminated with foreign materials, specifically pieces of a pen.” Based on the advisory, it seems an employee’s writing instrument may have fallen into the product while it was processing.

It’s said the company voluntarily initiated the recall after receiving a complaint from a customer who had injured their mouth while eating a DJ’s Original Boudain sausage link. As of the date of the announcement, there were no additional reports of injury or illness related to these products.

The products were reportedly distributed in three states: Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The recall affects 10 sizes and packaging styles of two popular products: DJ’s Original Boudain and DJ’s Jalapeno Boudain.

The FSIS says the combination of fresh and frozen sausage batches were produced on January 23, 2025 and bear sell-by dates ranging from February through July 2025. To spot the affected products in your fridge or freezer, you can look for the establishment number “EST. 13246” inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as the identifying details in the following order:

Product Code, Brand, Type of Package, Link or Package Size, Sell-By Date

• 42164 DJ’s Original Boudain Vacuum-Packaged for Retail 24-oz. 3/9/2025
• 20499 DJ’s Original Boudain Bulk-Packed (fresh) 4-oz. N/A 2/8/2025
• 20499 DJ’s Original Boudain Bulk-Packed (frozen) 4-oz. N/A 7/22/2025
• 33102 DJ’s Original Boudain Vacuum-Packaged for Retail N/A 12-oz. 3/9/2025
• 80573 DJ’s Original Boudain Vacuum-Packaged for Retail N/A 16-oz. 3/9/2025
• 12498 DJ’s Original Boudain Bulk-Packed (fresh) 8-oz. N/A 2/8/2025
• 12498 DJ’s Original Boudain Bulk-Packed (frozen) 8-oz. N/A 7/22/2025
• 41346 DJ’s Jalapeno Boudain Bulk-Packed (frozen) 4-oz. N/A 7/22/2025
• 30402 DJ’s Jalapeno Boudain Vacuum-Packaged for Retail N/A 12-oz. 3/9/2025
• 90758 DJ’s Jalapeno Boudain Bulk-Packed (frozen) 8-oz. N/A 7/22/2025

Says the government agency: “FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’, retailers’, and restaurants’ refrigerators or freezers, the recall notice says, urging consumers not to eat or serve the affected items … These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.”

“This boudain is the family recipe, birthed from Southwest Louisiana and perfected and approved in Southeast Texas over decades, for which DJ’s was founded upon,” the company says on its site.

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