Star Meat Denies Fake USDA Stamp in 167,639-Lb Recall

Star Meat Delivery says the EST. 1363 mark was legitimately reserved during its USDA approval process, disputing the nationwide recall of its meat.

The USDA announced Tuesday that Star Meat Delivery Inc. of Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling approximately 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products that it says were produced without federal inspection and bore a false USDA mark reading "EST. 1363." In a statement posted to its Facebook page Thursday, the company rejected that framing outright, saying the establishment number was "legitimately reserved" as part of its USDA application process and that a fake USDA stamp was NOT used on the products. The company maintains the recall, which it says it initiated, covers only products packaged for the Georgia distributor while approval was still underway.

Falsified inspection stamps are rare in the American meat trade, which is what makes the company's public denial a genuine reversal of the story. According to the Associated Press reporting carried by WVUA 23, University of Florida food safety professor Keith Schneider called this "someone taking a shortcut" and noted that recalls triggered by forged inspection stamps are relatively rare, with last year's recall of some 32,000 pounds of Sabrositos Hondurenos meat in New Jersey a similar case. The company's claim that the mark was reserved, not forged, sets up a direct factual conflict with the federal agency that has yet to respond.

The USDA says the problem was discovered during routine Food Safety and Inspection Service checks, that the meat was vacuum-sealed and shipped in cardboard boxes under the A&D Foods label, and that EST. 1363 "does not have a federal grant of inspection." Star Meat, in its statement to CNN, said the meat involved was sourced from a USDA-inspected supplier and that the recall covers only products processed for a Georgia distributor while its USDA approval was pending. Per CBS News, it is not clear whether anyone has been arrested or criminally charged, and the USDA did not immediately respond to the company's statement.

The recall is classified as Class I, the USDA's highest health-risk category, meaning there is a reasonable probability that eating the uninspected products could cause serious adverse health consequences or death, because such meat may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria or other contaminants. Twenty-three products are affected, including sliced ribeye, beef oxtail, short ribs, ground pork, pork chorizo and goat cuts, and The Cool Down notes some may still sit in home refrigerators and freezers. No confirmed illnesses or injuries have been reported, but retailers may have applied their own stickers, so some packages carry no telltale label.

According to the Associated Press reporting carried by WVUA 23, the USDA said the 167,000-pound figure could grow as its investigation continues, which means the scope of Star Meat's exposure is still an open question. The company says it is cooperating fully with authorities to finalize its application and following recall procedures, and insists no other products it sold were mislabeled. CNN reports it has reached out to A&D Foods for comment, and the distributor's role in the nationwide distribution chain remains a loose end the agency has not yet closed out publicly.

Federal officials urge anyone who purchased raw pork, beef or goat matching the recalled descriptions not to eat the products, and instead throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. The Cool Down notes consumers who already ate the meat should watch for symptoms and contact a health care provider if they feel sick, and that questions can go to Star Meat's media office at 252-239-0610 or the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854. The full list of affected products and labels is published in the USDA's online statement, and concerns can be reported through the agency's Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System.