09/27/2026
Another week in the books and another meat recall. This week over 160,000 lbs of goat, beef, and pork was recalled because it wasn’t inspected. Not only was it not inspected, but the packages had fake USDA labels and establishment numbers. Star Meats in NC sold the meat to A&D distributors in Ga who supplied the meat to retail stores and restaurants.
I’ve never heard of either of these 2 companies nor know the customers they serve but, based on the listing of the meats involved and the cuts, I’m assuming a lot of this meat was destined for ethnic markets and retail markets that utilized cheaper products. One of the products listed was 10 lb boxes of 4oz rib eye steaks. When have you ever seen a 4 oz rib eye? Could those steaks have ended up on one of those trucks you see in parking lots selling 12 rib eye steaks for $25? Or in a freezer in the back of a pickup truck selling meat door to door? Could the goat meat have ended up at a Hispanic grocery store or other ethnic market or restaurant? The one thing I know for sure is that it didn’t end up on any of the chain grocery store shelves or on a major purveyors truck like USFoods and Sysco that service the restaurants in our area. You can rest easy and not worry about eating out or grocery shopping.
The biggest thing I took away from this recall was to make sure I knew where my meat was coming from no matter if it was bought at a grocery store, butcher shop, a farmer’s market, or directly off a farm. I want to ask questions and be able to trust the information I’m given and the person giving it to me. I also don’t want to fall into the trap of just shopping by price and remember the old saying about getting what you paid for. I want to make sure the food I purchase has been inspected and that all required safety protocols have been taken to ensure my food is safe to eat.
There’s a lot of shady people out there that would have no problem making money by selling you sketchy products, even uninspected meats. Protect yourself and your family, do your homework and ask questions.
These recalls have people claiming a lot of the meat in the stores is “fake meat” or “cultured” meat, it isn’t. Cultured meat must be labeled as such and is very expensive to produce; the stores aren’t going to sell it as a cheap meat. There also isn’t the production capacity to produce the amount of cultured meat that people claim is out there. That is misinformation that is being spread to scare you and cause confusion. Don’t fall for it.
We had 3 people out for a good part of the week making it a long week for those that were here. We had 1 person on the farm and 1 in the market out for an out of state wedding and our driver out for an anniversary. Most everything that was planned got done but it was a struggle. I know we’re all going to be glad to be back to full staff this week.
I spent a few days on the tractor preparing fields to plant our winter grazing. I’ll have fertilizer spread and incorporated this week and hope to plant early next week.
Wednesday morning we hosted a group of students from Colleton County High and showed them around the farm. They gobbled while the turkeys gobbled back and ran over to greet them, got to pet some baby pigs, sows, and our Berkshire boar Blacky, and see the cows. They loved seeing the farm and we loved showing it to them. I’m not sure who was the saddest seeing their time on the farm end, them or me.
Jesse bolted the sow penning panels to the floor in the new sow barn while Rolondo finished up 2 of the 7 outdoor lots. This week we’ll install the fans and build the short outdoor alleyway going to and from the farrowing house. I’m hoping to get a few of our breeding hogs moved into the finished pens this week and bring in more as each outdoor lot is finished. It’s been a long process but we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this phase of the project.
The market and home delivery’s this past week were off the chart. The butcher shop couldn’t get the meat cut and packed fast enough. Chicken, ground beef, and rib eyes were flying off the shelves faster than they could be cut and packed. Jesse cut up, deboned, and ground several turkeys due to the large number of requests and barely got it packed before people were grabbing it up. They smoked and sliced pepper bacon and smoked the first batch of Holiday hams. We’re overwhelmed by the support from our community and can’t thank you enough.
Don’t forget that along with our Keegan-Filion Farm meats that are raised here, we also have our Palmetto Provision meats that are regionally sourced, high quality, conventionally raised, and budget friendly. All of the meat we sell is cut and packaged right here in our butcher shop.
We thank you again for your support and invite you to take advantage of the cooler weather and make plans to visit the farm, ask us questions, and know where your food comes from.
Have a great week.
