Seattle Woman Goes To Trader Joes. Then She Spots Ribeye Steak From Argentina. But Is Red Meat Safe Right Now?

If you’ve been following the news recently, you might be concerned about what’s happening with red meat.

In case you missed it, President Donald Trump recently announced that he would attempt to lower beef prices by boosting beef imports to the United States. This was done by removing certain tariffs. However, experts say that the United States may also lower its standards for both local and imported beef to further reduce costs.

It’s this latter point that has people worried. Citizens and lawmakers alike are concerned that lower standards may end with problematic beef entering U.S. markets. This concern has even left a cultural impact—mention chowing down on a burger online, and you’re sure to be flooded with comments of “You’re eating horse.”

But should you really be stressed about eating beef? That’s what the internet is asking after beef discounts were announced at a local Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s Argentine Steak

In a video with over 466,000 views, TikTok user Nina Yoon (@ninaaaasays) says that she recently went to Trader Joe’s in Seattle, Washington. While she was there, she noticed a rack of meat that was on sale.

“OK, so I have a genuine question. I went to Trader Joe’s yesterday, and I saw this right here,” Yoon says, showing a photo of several beef products. “Are we eating this meat?”

The rack shows New York Strip, Filet Mignon, and Ribeye, all sourced from Argentina.

“I don’t understand the meat controversy. I don’t want to eat horse or any wild meat,” Yoon states. “So please let me know, like, are we buying this meat from Trader Joe’s? Serious question.”

Is It Safe To Buy Beef From Argentina?

Yoon’s concern is understandable. After all, the USDA recently recalled almost 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef, and China has refused beef from Argentina because it found evidence of chloramphenicol contamination. This is an antibiotic that is prohibited in food-producing animals by U.S. standards.

However, it’s not like the United States just stripped away all standards for imported beef. Despite what people say online, beef from Argentina is still inspected. In fact, it’s inspected multiple times before it ever has a chance of reaching your plate.

First, all beef producers shipping to the United States—like Argentina—need to maintain a beef inspection system that provides an equivalent level of public health protection as the American system. To that end, the meat must originate from establishments certified as eligible for the U.S. market.

After the beef meets those requirements, it can be shipped to the United States. When it arrives, it is inspected. Depending on the meat’s risk profile, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service can order multiple laboratory tests, looking for things like microbiological contamination, chemical/drug residues—and yes, whether some unscrupulous seller is trying to pass off horse as beef.

In fact, the Argentine beef that was recently recalled by the USDA was not due to any issue with the beef itself. Rather, it was because the beef had not been properly inspected before sale.

Consumers Are Concerned

In the comments section of the video, many users said that, even if the beef was inspected, they didn’t trust the government to do the job properly. Consequently, they declared they were not interested in purchasing the beef.

“Nope! Not eating beef for at least 90 months,” wrote a user.

“The answer is no,” echoed another. “We are not buying beef.”

Many other users suggested that those wanting beef should go to a butcher. However, others came to the opposite conclusion, saying that Argentine beef was safe to purchase and consume.

“Argentinian beef is some of the best meat in the world,” shared a commenter. “Astounded that Americans don’t know that.”

“why wouldn’t we? its tested, inspected and labeled,” noted a second. “Have you seen Tyson processing plants? this meat probably undergoes even stricter policy to import than local processors have to pass.”

BroBible reached out to Nina via email and Instagram direct message and to Trader Joe’s via media contact form.