A North Carolina meat producer is recalling approximately 167,639 pounds of raw beef, pork and goat products after federal officials discovered the items were made without any federal inspection and carried fake USDA inspection marks. The recall centers on Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, and the products may have already reached restaurants and store shelves across the country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the recall Tuesday, saying Star Meat Delivery Inc. produced the raw pork, beef and goat items across multiple dates through Sept. 22, 2026, according to fsis.usda.gov. As reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, the recalled meat products were produced without federal inspection and bore false USDA marks of inspection, including a fabricated establishment number, EST 1363.
Those false inspection marks are the heart of the problem. Per the station's report, the phony EST 1363 stamp made the uninspected meat look like it had cleared the same federal safety checks that legitimate USDA-approved plants undergo, when in fact it had not.
How the Tainted Meat Reached Restaurants and Stores
The recalled items were shipped to A&D Foods in Georgia, the same account notes, and A&D Foods was expected to distribute the products for retail sale and restaurant use around the country. That distribution chain means the meat could have ended up well beyond North Carolina and Georgia before the problem surfaced.
Consumers who purchased the recalled meat should not eat it, and should throw it away or return it to the place of purchase, the article states. Restaurants and retailers that may have received the products are similarly warned not to sell or serve the recalled meat.
No Illnesses Reported So Far, but Investigation Continues
The USDA reported it is not aware of any illnesses linked to the recalled meat as of publication. Even so, the agency cautioned that more products could be recalled as its investigation continues, leaving open the possibility that the scope of the recall could grow.
The case underscores a basic food-safety risk that applies whenever meat bypasses federal inspection: without that oversight, product can carry harmful bacteria, other contaminants, or undeclared allergens that inspectors are otherwise meant to catch before it reaches consumers.
