Before you fire up the grill, federal food safety officials want you to take a hard look at what is sitting in your freezer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued a public health alert for certain raw beef and pork products, many sold under the Blackwing label, that appear to have been produced without an official USDA mark of inspection or with an unauthorized establishment designation. The agency said the items were produced from April 2024 through March 2026 and were shipped to wholesale and retail locations across the country. So far, there are no confirmed reports of illness.
In a notice on its recalls and public health alerts page, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said it is investigating the products and may add additional items to the alert as it learns more. FSIS urged consumers who bought any of the named products not to eat them and to either throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. The agency said it will update the list as the investigation proceeds.
Products named in the alert
Among the examples named in the alert are vacuum packed Blackwing products such as 1 lb packages labeled “Blackwing Beef Ground from Organic Beef,” 5 lb boxes containing 8 oz vacuum packed “Blackwing Organic Meats New York Strip Steak,” and 10 lb boxes of 16 oz “Blackwing Organic Meats organic ground beef,” as reported by Local Memphis. The outlet also notes the affected products were produced from April 2024 through March 2026 and were shipped to wholesale and retail locations nationwide. The notice lists several pork items, including 12 oz vacuum packed ground pork packages and boneless center cut pork chops, with some packages lacking a USDA inspection shield and others showing “EST. 1996” inside the mark of inspection.
What to do if you bought these items
FSIS recommends consumers do not eat the affected products and instead either dispose of them or return them to the retailer for a refund. For food safety questions or to report a problem, the agency directs consumers to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or to email [email protected], and notes consumer resources including live chat and the agency’s complaint portal on its website. See USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for more guidance.
Labeling and legal risks
Federal labeling rules prohibit reproducing or using the official inspection legend without FSIS authorization, and products bearing an unauthorized or fake USDA mark may be subject to agency action. Local reporting noted the alert warned the products could contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria and other contaminants; misuse of official marks raises both public safety and regulatory concerns, and the Code of Federal Regulations lays out labeling and inspection requirements for meat products. See GovInfo for details.
Shoppers who think they might have purchased any of the listed items should check packaging for brand names and establishment numbers and follow store return instructions or discard the product. We will update this story as FSIS posts new information.
