Keeping our food safe is of the utmost priority. So when we receive products from other countries, governing bodies like the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) work hard to keep everything in check. Which is why they’ve ordered a recall for over 20,000 pounds of raw beef.
South American Meat Inc., also known as 5Gogi LLC, is recalling about 20,111 pounds of frozen raw beef due to a missed inspection. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), these products were not presented for reinspection once it has entered the United States. They discovered the problem during a routine check of imported goods entering the country. The beef was imported from Uruguay on March 17, 2024 and was distributed to locations in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington.
The recall includes items like “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. AGUJA CHUCK ROLL,” “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. ASADO SIN HUESO SHORT RIB,” and several other products from the same manufacturer. Each product is packed in cardboard cases with specific case codes and displays the brand “FRICASA.” Here’s a full list of the recalled products:
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. AGUJA CHUCK ROLL” with case code JP0001 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. ASADO SIN HUESO SHORT RIB” with case code JP0002 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. BIFE ANCHO CUBE ROLL” with case code JP0003 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. BIFE ANGOSTO STRIPLOIN” with case code JP0004 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. BIFE GRANDE DE VACÍO FLAP MEAT” with case code JP0005 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. CARNAZA DE PALETA SHOULDER CLOD” with case code JP0006 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. LOMO TENDERLOIN” with case code JP0007 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. MARUCHA OYSTER BLADE” with case code JP0008 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
- “Frigorífico Casa Blanca S.A. PECHO BRISKET” with case code JP0009 containing individually vacuum sealed products displaying “FRICASA”.
Consumers who’ve bought or hold any of the listed products are strongly advised to not consume them and either discard them or return them to the place of purchase. These products can be identified by the Uruguay establishment number “58,” which is printed inside the Uruguay inspection mark on both the shipping box and vacuum-sealed product packaging. The good news is, there hasn’t been any health issues reported linked to these products. It’s still better to be safe than sorry though since these products weren’t thoroughly inspected.
What To Do If You Have The Recalled Beef
While there haven’t been any issues with the recalled beef, it doesn’t change the fact that it wasn’t approved by the governing agencies as safe for consumption. If you have the recalled products in question, you can follow these steps to stay safe and healthy.
Don’t Consume the Beef
Just don’t eat it. It’s easy as that. This goes for all food products that we eat and consume. A good rule of thumb is to simply not consume any products that we’re involved in a recall. We don’t know for sure if these products are 100% safe so it’s better to practice caution.
Return or Dispose of the Product
The best thing to do with the recalled beef is to either dispose it or return it. The better option would be to return it to the place of purchase. That way, you can get a refund and they’ll ensure that the beef gets disposed of properly. The other option would be to just throw it away. But you can’t just throw it away in the trash. You have to put the meat in two layers of bags before placing it in your trash bin.
RELATED: Nationwide Beef Recall Announced: Possible E. coli Contamination
From The Club
Food recalls are always important. We should always be on high alert when it comes to the food we consume. Another recall has been initiated, this time for massive amounts of raw beef. If you’re in possession of the products and they match the description, do the wise thing and just return it to your place of purchase. It’s a good thing that we have authorities like the FSIS and the USDA that ensure everything we consume is safe.