Not Another One! Recall Issued For More Than 160,000 Pounds Of Meat Bearing Fake USDA Inspection Labels

More than 83 tons of meat are being recalled across the U.S. According to the Department of Agriculture, federal authorities failed to properly inspect the meat and shipped it with fake inspection stickers.

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Dept. Of Agriculture Explains Meat Recall

Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat nationwide. The USDA said that number could grow as it continues its investigation. The agency said it discovered the problem during the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s routine checks. It’s not clear whether officials have arrested or criminally charged anyone.

The products ended up at the Georgia distributor A&D Foods for distribution to retail and restaurant locations nationwide. Additionally, the meat in question was produced “on various dates” before Sept. 22. They had USDA inspection stickers falsely bearing an establishment number — EST. 1363 — that the agency said, “does not have a federal grant of inspection.” The USDA said the products are unsafe to eat. Furthermore, customers should discard or return the product(s) to the place of purchase.

However, the agency warned that some packages people purchased may not bear that labeling. That’s because retail stores may have applied their own stickers with pricing and safe handling instructions.

No Reports Of Illnesses Yet

Food produced without inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, or other contaminants, the Dept of Agriculture said Tuesday (Sept. 22) in announcing the meat recall. So far, there have been no confirmed reports of illnesses or injuries from the meats, according to the USDA.

Company Responsible Reacts To Recall

Star Meat Delivery, in a statement posted on its Facebook page Thursday, pushed back at the notion that the inspection stamps on its products were somehow falsified. It said the establishment number in question was “legitimately reserved” as part of the USDA application process. The company is seeking approval to process and package meat for the Georgia distributor. That approval process is still underway, Star Meat said, although the meat involved came from a USDA-inspected supplier.

“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 didn’t immediately respond to Star Meat’s statement. Recalls triggered by forged inspection stamps are relatively rare, according to Keith Schneider. Keith is 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, some 32,000 pounds of meat, including chorizo, pork chops and ribs, were recalled after the USDA determined they had fake inspection stickers. The meat was produced by Sabrositos Hondurenos of New Jersey.

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Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.