THE RECALL last week of 25 million pounds of ground beef sold by Hudson Foods was a forceful act, but it is instructive mainly for what it tells about the weakness of the meat inspection system. The administration did the right thing in ordering the recall. That's true even though no one knew whether that much meat was in fact contaminated nor how serious the contamination might be, and even though the action had enormous consequences for the company, which ended up having not just to destroy the product but also to sell its Columbus, Neb., plant after the Agriculture Department demanded it cease operations. The regulatory alternative was to take a chance on permitting consumption of meat that could contain the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria that had caused 17 people in Colorado to take ill. No government official could afford such a gamble, nor could any company with a reputation to protect.