WASHINGTON - The first shipment of fresh beef from Argentina arrives in the United States after a 70-year ban in the wake of a contamination scare that forced the withdrawal of thousands of pounds of hamburger meat from the markets nationwide.
Argentine beef exports to the United States had been limited to cooked products since 1927, due to U.S. sanitary restrictions.
The first shipment of Argentine fresh beef, expected to arrive in the United States on Tuesday, consists of 700 pounds of tenderloins and striploins from more than 10 Argentine packing plants.
A first batch will be sent directly to the Argentine Embassy in Washington, where newly appointed Ambassador Diego Guelar will begin his diplomatic mission presiding over promotional beef servings.
An embassy spokesman said, "Immediately after, commercial shipments will start reaching specialized restaurants throughout the United States."
Under a new bilateral agreement, Argentina will be able to enter the U.S. market with fresh, chilled or frozen beef. Initially, the volume of fresh beef will be limited to 20,000 metric tons a year, and it is expected that the annual allocation will be increased in the near future.
Last week, the Rogers, Arkansas-based Hudson Foods Co. closed its Columbus, Neb., plant and recalled some 20,000 pounds of frozen beef burgers after U.S. Department of Agriculture's investigators found evidences of possible contamination with the E. coli bacterium.
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