FDA Warns Public Over Potentially Radioactive Walmart Shrimp

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday told the U.S. public not to eat, sell, or serve certain imported Walmart frozen shrimp produced by an Indonesian company because it may have been exposed to a radioactive material.

Health officials said in a statement that it is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers as well as shrimp products that were processed by Indonesia-based PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, also known as BMS Food.

The shrimp was sold in Walmart locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia, according to a notice from the FDA.

“If you recently purchased one of the impacted lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp from Walmart, throw it away,” the FDA said in the notice. “Do not eat or serve this product.”

Retailers and distributors in the United States are also advised to dispose of the frozen shrimp product and should not serve it, the agency added.

The FDA also advised people who believe they may have been exposed to Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of the element cesium that can increase the risk of cancer in people, that they should speak with a health care provider.

Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations, and accidents. It’s widespread around the world, with trace amounts found in the environment, including soil, food, and air.

Elevated amounts of the radioactive isotope may be present in high-contamination areas, including Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986, and Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, after nuclear plant disasters, the FDA has said.

The FDA recommended that Walmart recall the Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia, the FDA also said.

The level detected in the frozen breaded Walmart shrimp was far lower than FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially contaminated products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time.

The Epoch Times contacted Walmart for comment on Wednesday.

Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company spokesperson told news outlets this week. Consumers should discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for a refund, the spokesperson added.

According to the FDA notice, the impacted products include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027; Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027; and Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.

Symptoms of radiation sickness can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, fatigue, low blood pressure, infections, hair loss, weakness and fatigue, and mental changes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Last week, the FDA issued an import alert for PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati for all shrimp products imported into the United States, while the agency said in its Tuesday notice that the Indonesian company was “added to the red list of this alert” to ensure “that no implicated shrimp products will enter U.S. commerce until the company resolves the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.”