Interactive: Meat recall linked to fake USDA labels

A North Carolina company has recalled more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products after regulators found the meat was produced without federal inspection. Star Meat Delivery issued the recall after the products were found to carry false USDA labels marked with 'EST. 1363.'

The USDA classified this as a Class I recall, its highest health risk level, warning that uninspected food may harbor undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria or other contaminants. No illnesses or injuries linked to the products have been confirmed.

Federal food inspections exist for a reason: they are the backstop between a meatpacking floor and your dinner table. When Star Meat Delivery of North Carolina produced more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat products without that inspection — and then applied fake USDA seals to make those packages look government-approved — it bypassed every layer of that protection.

The USDA has classified this as a Class I recall, the agency's most serious designation. Class I means federal officials have determined there is a reasonable probability that consuming the product will cause serious adverse health consequences. No illnesses have been confirmed as of the recall announcement, but the agency is not waiting for reports to mount before urging consumers to act.