167,000 lbs of beef, pork and goat recalled after North Carolina firm used fake USDA inspection marks

More than 167,000 pounds of raw beef, pork and goat meat are being pulled from restaurants and store shelves nationwide after a North Carolina distributor shipped the products bearing falsified federal inspection labels — meaning the meat was never subject to the safety checks the government requires before food reaches consumers.

The recall, announced September 22 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, covers roughly 167,639 pounds of meat products from Star Meat Delivery Inc., a company located in Lucama, North Carolina. No illnesses or injuries have been confirmed.

The recalled products carried USDA inspection marks stamped with the establishment number 'EST. 1363' — a number that, according to the USDA, is not approved for federal inspection. The USDA warned that any meat bearing that mark must be treated as misbranded and unfit for consumption.

The raw pork, beef and goat items were produced on various dates prior to Sept. 22, 2026. The products were vacuum-sealed and packed into cardboard boxes for shipment; individual consumer packages may not bear this labeling, as retail stores may have applied their own stickers with pricing and safe handling instructions.— USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

The bulk shipments went first to A&D Foods, a distributor in Georgia, which then sent them to retailers and restaurants across the country. Among the affected products are sliced ribeye, beef chuck, oxtail, beef short ribs, ground pork, pork chorizo, pork chops, pork ribs, pork feet, pork Boston butt and goat meat.

The repackaging issue makes this recall unusually hard for consumers to act on. Because stores routinely remove original packaging and apply their own price and safe-handling stickers, shoppers may have no way to identify the meat by label alone. As the investigation proceeds, the USDA noted that additional products and labels may be added to the recall.

Federal inspection is mandatory for meat sold commercially in the United States. The USDA warns that meat produced outside the federal inspection system may harbor undeclared allergens, dangerous bacteria or other contaminants. The problem was discovered during routine FSIS surveillance activities, not through a consumer complaint or reported illness.

Food produced without inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria or other contaminants that put consumer health and safety at risk. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in the refrigerators or freezers of consumers, restaurants or retailers.— USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Consumers are urged not to eat any of the recalled products. Retailers and restaurants should not sell or serve them. According to the USDA, the meat should be discarded or brought back to the store where it was purchased. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. A full list of the 23 affected products is available on the USDA's website. ABC News reported it reached out to Star Meat Delivery Inc. and A&D Foods for comment but did not receive an immediate response; a call to Star Meat Delivery also went unanswered, according to the Spring Hope Enterprise.

Why it matters — Uninspected meat can carry undeclared allergens or dangerous bacteria, and because retailers routinely repackage products, consumers may have no obvious way to tell whether meat already in their home is part of this recall.

Reported by abcnews.com, springhopeenterprise.com, cnn.com, freedomforallamericans.org, krdo.com