Federal authorities have issued a massive nationwide recall for over 167,000 pounds of beef, pork, and goat meat after discovering the products were processed without the necessary federal inspections. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Star Meat Delivery Inc., operating out of Lucama, North Carolina, distributed the unapproved meats through a distributor in Georgia to various retailers and restaurants across the country.
The issue came to light during a routine government check when officials noticed that the products bore an establishment number that was not actually approved for federal inspection. While there have been no reports of illnesses or injuries tied to the meat so far, the USDA warned that food produced outside of these regulations can harbor harmful bacteria or undeclared allergens that pose significant health risks to consumers.
The scope of the recall is broad, covering everything from sliced ribeye and oxtail to ground pork, chorizo, and goat meat. Identifying whether you have these products in your freezer might be tricky because many stores repackage items with their own store labels and pricing stickers once they arrive from the distributor. This means the original packaging indicating the source may no longer be visible to the shopper.
Health officials are urging anyone who finds affected products in their home to throw them away or return them to the point of purchase immediately. Similarly, restaurants and grocery stores are being told to stop selling or serving any remaining stock from this supplier. As investigators continue to track down all affected shipments, the agency noted that more product labels may be added to the official recall list found on their website.
