USDA Recalls Nearly 30,000 Pounds of Argentine Beef Sold in Texas and Florida Over Missed Import Inspection

AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recalled nearly 30,000 pounds of raw beef imported from Argentina after the products entered U.S. commerce without a required federal reinspection, the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.

The recall covers 29,628 pounds of raw beef products distributed to retailers and distributors in Texas and Florida by Corte Argentino USA LLC, a company based in Aventura, Florida. FSIS said the products originated with Frigorifico Gorina SAIC, a beef producer in Argentina, and were manufactured between May 15 and May 20. The affected items carry use-or-freeze-by dates ranging from Sept. 15 through Sept. 20.

The recalled beef includes several boneless cuts — top sirloin butt, eye round, topside cap off, flat and knuckle — packaged in cardboard boxes under the Frigorifico Gorina SAIC brand. Products subject to the recall bear the Argentine establishment number "EST. N° OF. 2025" and the shipping mark "26644-AA."

FSIS said the issue was discovered during routine inspection activity, when officials determined the beef had bypassed a mandatory import reinspection step designed to verify that labeling, documentation and the physical condition of imported meat meet federal standards. Despite the nature of the violation, FSIS classified the recall as Class I, its highest-risk category, reserved for situations in which there is a reasonable probability that eating the product could cause serious health consequences or death. The agency's recall notice did not identify a specific contaminant.

No illnesses or injuries have been confirmed in connection with the beef, according to FSIS. The agency said it is concerned that some of the recalled product may still be sitting in consumers' refrigerators or freezers, and it urged anyone with the affected beef not to eat it. Consumers were advised to throw the products away or return them to the place of purchase. FSIS said it would post a list of retail locations that received the beef as that information becomes available; as of this week, it remained unclear exactly which stores sold the recalled products.

Corte Argentino directed questions about the recall to Eial Kaplun, the company's general manager. In addition to Argentine-style cuts, the company also distributes American Angus and Australian Wagyu beef, according to its own materials.

The recall drew a sharp response from outgoing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who said the lapse should not have happened. "Nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef made it into American commerce without receiving the required federal import reinspection. That is unacceptable," Miller said in a statement, adding that American consumers "should never have to wonder whether foreign meat slipped through the cracks." Miller said Texas producers "meet rigorous standards" and called on USDA to determine how the beef bypassed inspection, closing with a message urging Texans to "buy American" and "buy Texas."

The recall lands at a politically charged moment for the U.S. beef trade. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump moved to expand the amount of Argentine beef eligible to enter the United States at a lower tariff, adding 80,000 metric tons of Argentine lean beef to the import quota in a February proclamation as part of an effort with Argentine President Javier Milei to ease record-high domestic beef prices. That expansion has drawn opposition from segments of the U.S. cattle industry, which argues foreign imports undercut American producers who operate under stricter regulatory requirements. FSIS and industry observers have said the recall itself stems from an isolated import-processing failure and is not tied to the broader policy debate over expanded Argentine imports.

The recall also comes as the U.S. gradually reopens its border to Mexican feeder cattle following a monthslong halt prompted by concerns over New World screwworm, a livestock pest. That reopening is expected to add modestly to U.S. cattle supplies, though officials have said imports will initially remain limited.

FSIS noted that the current episode is not the first time an import reinspection failure has led to a recall. In June 2024, South American Meat Inc., doing business as 5Gogi LLC, recalled frozen raw beef that had also entered the country without the required reinspection, underscoring that the gap in oversight is not unique to Corte Argentino's shipment.

The agency said it routinely conducts effectiveness checks to confirm that recalling companies have notified their distributors and retailers and that recalled products have been pulled from store shelves. FSIS has not yet detailed how the uninspected Corte Argentino shipment cleared its port of entry before reaching distributors in Texas and Florida.