Nationwide Recall Affects 167,639 Pounds of Meat Products

A major food safety alert is rippling across the country after Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, issued a Class I recall for approximately 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat products.

Federal investigators found the company had produced and distributed meat without any USDA inspection, then applied a false federal mark of inspection, a violation that immediately triggered the highest-level recall.

The recalled items were shipped under the A&D Foods label to retailers and restaurants nationwide. Because many stores repackage bulk meat into their own branded trays or butcher-counter wraps, consumers may not see “A&D Foods” on the label, making this recall especially important for households to pay attention to.

A Class I recall is reserved for situations where there is a reasonable probability that consuming the product could cause serious adverse health consequences. In this case, the risk stems from two critical failures:

• No federal inspection — meaning the meat may contain harmful bacteria, contaminants, or undeclared substances.
• A fraudulent USDA mark — which falsely signals safety and compliance. The false inspection mark used was EST. 1363, which does not correspond to any legitimate USDA-inspected facility.

How to Read USDA Establishment Numbers

Understanding USDA establishment numbers can make it easier to know whether the meat in your kitchen came from a facility that follows federal safety rules. Every inspected plant in the United States is assigned a unique number. You’ll usually find it printed near the USDA mark on the package. Sometimes it’s inside the shield, sometimes just outside it, and sometimes tucked into the fine print on a label.

An establishment number is basically the plant’s ID. It tells you where the meat was processed and whether that facility is part of the federal inspection system. When the number is real, you can look it up on the USDA website and confirm that the plant is legitimate. When the number is missing, hard to find, or doesn’t match any official listing, that’s a sign to pause and take a closer look.

In this recall, the number to watch for is EST. 1363. It looks official, but it does not belong to any USDA‑inspected facility. If you see that number on a package, or if you have unlabeled meat that came from bulk boxes connected to this recall, it’s safest to throw it away.

Products Recalled

All recalled items were vacuum‑sealed, packed in cardboard boxes, and distributed in bulk. Retailers may have broken down these boxes and repackaged the contents.

Common affected items include:

• Goat cuts
• Beef oxtail
• Beef short ribs
• Ribeye slices
• Ground pork
• Pork chorizo
• Pork chops
• Pork ribs and feet
• Menudo mix
• Various pork Boston cuts

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) uncovered the issue during routine surveillance activities. As of now, no illnesses have been reported, but FSIS warns that the absence of inspection means the risk cannot be accurately assessed.

What Consumers Should Do

FSIS urges households, restaurants, and retailers to take immediate action:

• Do not consume any product bearing the false establishment number EST. 1363.
• Check your freezer, especially if you buy bulk meat or unlabeled vacuum-sealed packages.
• Discard or return any suspected items.
• Ask your butcher whether their ground or repackaged meats originated from A&D Foods bulk boxes.
• Restaurants should stop serving affected products and notify suppliers.

Federal inspection is the backbone of US meat safety. Without it, consumers lose all visibility into sanitation, handling, and the conditions under which animals were slaughtered and processed.

If you experience symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, or diarrhea after consuming meat of uncertain origin, contact a healthcare provider.

For more details, please go to www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/star-meat-delivery-inc–recalls-raw-pork-beef-and-goat-products-produced-without.