The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Star Meat Delivery Inc. of Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling approximately 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat produced without federal inspection and labeled with a false USDA mark of inspection.
According to FSIS, products bearing the false establishment number “EST. 1363” “should be considered misbranded and unsafe to eat.” FSIS said the items were produced on various dates prior to Sept. 22 and that no reports of illness or injury had been received in connection with the recall at the time of the notice.
Where the meat went
FSIS reported the products were shipped in bulk to A&D Foods, a Georgia-based distributor, to be sent to restaurants and retail outlets. FSIS did not provide details on how meat with a false inspection number was distributed beyond that.
What to look for
FSIS said some shipments carried the A&D Foods label and warned that “retail stores may have applied their own stickers with pricing and safe handling instructions.” The recall notice pointed consumers and businesses to the false mark “EST. 1363” as a key identifier.
Examples of labeled products named in the release include items such as “GOAT CUT 1-1/2″ 10.00 LBS,” “SLICE RIBEYE 4oz 10.00 LBS,” “BEEF OXTAIL CUT 10.00 LBS,” “BEEF SHORT RIBS SLD 3/8″ REGULAR 10.00 LBS,” “PORK CHORIZO 10.00 LBS,” “PORK CHOP B/I 10.00 LBS,” “PORK RIB PIECES PREM 1″ 10.00 LBS,” “PORK BOSTON SLICE 1 INCH 20.00 LBS,” “Menudo Mix 30.00 LBS,” “PORK HOCK SLICED 10.00 LBS,” and “Beef Short Rib Thin Sliced.”
What FSIS urges now
“Food produced without inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, or other contaminants that put consumer health and safety at risk,” FSIS warned. The agency added, “FSIS is concerned that some product may be in the refrigerators or freezers of consumers, restaurants, or retailers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them.”
FSIS further advised: “Retailers and restaurants are urged not to sell or serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
