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.
Details of the Recall
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.
Reaction to the Recall
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.”
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.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
