USDA says Argentine beef that missed inspection is recalled

The USDA announced that nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef, which had not undergone thorough inspection before reaching Texas and Florida, are being recalled. Florida-based Corte Argentino LLC is responsible for recalling several cuts of beef that missed a crucial "reinspection" step during their entry into the United States.

While there have been no reported illnesses or injuries linked to the imports, the USDA expressed concern that some of the cuts might already be present in consumers' refrigerators or freezers and advised them to discard them. The meat was produced in May and has freeze-by dates in September. The USDA did not disclose how the batch bypassed the import reinspection process.

The recalled beef cuts were labeled with Frigorifico Gorina SAIC, one of Argentina's leading meat-packers. Gorina did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment outside business hours on Tuesday. This recall follows shortly after the US expanded its annual tariff-free beef import quota from Argentina from 20,000 to 100,000 tons to combat inflation, as part of a trade agreement still awaiting full ratification.

The recall constitutes a small fraction of Argentina's exports to the US, which have been increasing since the policy was introduced earlier this year, competing with shipments to China, Argentina's largest client. China has at times suspended imports from certain Argentine meatpackers due to various concerns.