NEW YORK – More than 83 tons of meat are being recalled nationwide after the products were distributed without proper federal inspection and carried inspection stickers the U.S. Department of Agriculture said were falsified.
Star Meat Delivery Inc., a company based in Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling more than 167,000 pounds (75,750 kilograms) of raw pork, beef and goat products across the United States. The USDA said the recall could expand as its investigation continues.
The USDA said Tuesday that meat made without federal inspection could contain undeclared allergens, dangerous bacteria or other contaminants. No illnesses or injuries linked to the products have been confirmed, the agency said.
The recalled meat was produced “on various dates” before Sept. 22. Its USDA inspection labels falsely displayed establishment number EST. 1363, which the agency said “does not have a federal grant of inspection.” Some packages purchased by consumers may not carry that label, however, because retailers might have added their own stickers listing prices and safe-handling instructions, the USDA warned.
The products were sent to A&D Foods, a Georgia distributor, for delivery to retail stores and restaurants nationwide.
The USDA said the products should be treated as misbranded and unsafe to eat. Consumers should throw them away or return them to the location where they were purchased.
The issue came to light during routine checks by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. It remains unclear whether anyone has been arrested or faces criminal charges.
In a statement posted Thursday on Facebook, Star Meat Delivery disputed the suggestion that its inspection stamps had been falsified. The company said the establishment number had been “legitimately reserved” during its USDA application to receive approval to process and package meat for the Georgia distributor.
Star Meat said that approval process remains ongoing and that the recalled meat was obtained from a supplier inspected by the USDA.
“No other products sold by Star Meat Delivery were mislabeled, and no other products sold by Star Meat Delivery are part of the recall that has been issued,” the company said. “We are cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities to finalize the application and are following the recall procedures that have been put into place.”
The USDA did not immediately respond to Star Meat’s statement.
Food recalls involving forged inspection stamps are uncommon, said Keith Schneider, a food safety professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“This is someone taking a shortcut,” he said. “Systems are in place to catch these sorts of things and it appears the system worked as intended. You can’t skip inspections.”
Last year, the USDA recalled about 32,000 pounds (14,500 kilograms) of meat—including chorizo, pork chops and ribs—made by Sabrositos Hondurenos of New Jersey after determining that the products carried counterfeit inspection stickers.
