Raw Pork, Beef and Goat Products Recalled After Being Sold With Fake USDA Mark

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that a distributor is pulling back over 150,000 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat items after putting them on sale with a false USDA label. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service made the announcement on Tuesday.

The wholesale meat distributor Star Meat Delivery, Inc. initiated the recall. The raw products came off the line before Tuesday and were shipped in large quantities under the “A&D Foods” brand name. According to the FSIS, any item carrying the false establishment number “EST. 1363” is mislabeled and unsafe for consumption.

The Recall at a Glance

The FSIS stated that the issue came to light through routine surveillance work. No cases of illness or harm linked to these products have been reported so far.

These items carry false inspection marks bearing the establishment number “EST. 1363,” which has no federal grant of inspection. They were sent to A&D Foods, a Georgia distributor, for onward delivery to retail and restaurant outlets across the country.

Retailers have sometimes placed their own stickers with prices and safe-handling instructions over products, according to the USDA, which explains why the faulty label might not appear on packages seen by shoppers. As a result, some stores may not display the incorrect marking at all.

Here is what consumers need to know about the recall:

• The affected products bear the false establishment number “EST. 1363”
• The products were produced before Tuesday
• The items were distributed in bulk under the “A&D Foods” label
• The recall covers raw pork, beef, and goat products
• The recall affects more than 150,000 pounds of meat
• The items were shipped to A&D Foods, a distributor in Georgia
• The recall applies to retail and restaurant locations nationwide

Why the Recall Was Issued

The USDA has warned that food made without proper inspection or approval can include undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, or other dangers that threaten people’s health and safety. It did not say what specific hazards this particular batch might carry.

Routine inspections by the FSIS turned up the issue before it could make anyone ill, which means the agency caught the problem before there were any reported cases of illness linked to it.

How to Tell Which Packages Are Affected

The identifying number in question is an establishment number “EST. 1363.”, which the FSIS says is not a federal grant of inspection. Any item carrying that number should be considered misbranded and unfit for consumption.

A package bearing the number should be treated as unsafe for consumption. The USDA has noted that retailers might have added their own stickers with pricing and safe-handling instructions, which means that a package without the faulty label does not necessarily mean the meat is safe.

A complete and up-to-date inventory of all the pork, beef and goat items currently under recall can be found on the USDA’s website.

Comparing the Parties Involved

Tuesday saw the release of a recall notice. According to the FSIS, the issue came to light through routine surveillance work.

While no sickness has been reported, that alone cannot remove the danger. The USDA’s warning about undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, and other contaminants remains in effect, separate from any illness that may or may not occur.

The bottom line is straightforward: any package bearing the number “EST. 1363,” should be treated as unfit for consumption. The USDA has posted the full list online, so consumers can use it to verify whether a specific product has been recalled.

Food safety is not an abstraction. A false mark on a package is no laughing matter. It serves as a warning, and the USDA treats it with sufficient seriousness to warrant a recall affecting hundreds of thousands of pounds of raw meat.

Source material: “Raw pork, beef and goat products recalled after being sold without USDA approval,” ABC13 Houston.

A&D Foods · food safety · recall · Star Meat · USDA