Nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef were recalled because the meat missed a required inspection after entering the United States.
The recall wasn’t caused by a report of illness or a test showing that the beef was contaminated.
Corte Argentino USA LLC recalled about 29,628 pounds of raw beef, according to an August 7 notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Federal officials found that the beef entered the country without receiving a required import reinspection.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service discovered the problem during routine inspection work. The agency said there haven’t been confirmed reports of illness or injury.
Federal officials still listed the recall as Class I, the agency’s most serious recall level. Consumers shouldn’t eat recalled beef.
The meat was produced between May 15 and May 20. It has use-by and freeze-by dates between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20.
The recalled products include several boneless beef cuts from Frigorífico Gorina SAIC. The boxes have Argentine establishment number “EST. N° OF. 2025” and shipping mark “26644-AA.”
The beef went to distributors and stores in Florida and Texas.
Import reinspection takes place after meat arrives in the United States. Federal inspectors check documents, labels, packaging and the condition of the product.
In this case, the required check never happened. The recall notice did not identify a pathogen or other problem with the beef.
Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said the importing company accepted responsibility.
Quirno said the company described the incident as “an administrative error that occurred in the United States, with no relation to the exporting establishment or to the Argentine sanitary or safety system.”
The USDA has found that Argentina’s meat inspection system is equivalent to the American system. Yet, Argentine beef must still receive another inspection after it enters the United States.
The missed inspection has become part of another fight over beef imports.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said federal officials need to figure out how the meat missed inspection.
“Nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef made it into American commerce without receiving the required federal import reinspection,” Miller said in an August 12 statement. “That is unacceptable.”
Miller urged people to buy American and Texas beef.
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy said cattle groups are using a mistake made in the United States to attack Argentine beef.
“The Cattle Lobby is desperate for any opening to attack President [Donald] Trump’s beef strategy,” the group said in a statement provided to The Center Square. “They want to cause chaos and keep prices high, while President Trump wants to help consumers. The missed reinspection was an error by the U.S., not Argentina – which remains a key partner for lowering our prices.”
It also comes as beef prices rise in the United States.
The average price of ground beef reached $6.89 a pound in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was about 10% higher than one year earlier.
Trump increased the amount of Argentine lean beef that can enter the United States under a lower tariff earlier this year.
A February proclamation added 80,000 metric tons of Argentine lean beef to the import quota.
The Trump administration said drought, wildfires, limits on cattle from Mexico and a smaller American cattle herd have pushed beef prices higher.
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy wants the higher Argentine quota made permanent. It also wants a separate quota for beef from Paraguay.
“The U.S. should make the expanded Argentina quota permanent and add a dedicated quota for Paraguay to increase our supply of lean beef,” the group said. “American families will see relief at the grocery store.”