The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public warning and recommended a recall for specific lots of frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart due to potential contamination with a radioactive isotope. The products, sold under Walmart’s Great Value brand, may have been exposed to Cesium-137, prompting the precautionary measure across 13 states.
The recall was initiated after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers from an Indonesian supplier, P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, which operates as BMS Foods. According to reports from ABC News and other outlets, the detections occurred at four U.S. ports: Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and Savannah. Following the alert from CBP, the FDA tested a sample of frozen breaded shrimp from the supplier, which confirmed the presence of the radioactive substance.
Crucially, the FDA has clarified that the specific shipment which tested positive for Cesium-137 was denied entry and did not enter the U.S. food supply. However, the agency is recommending a recall for products that were shipped after the initial detection as a precaution. The FDA stated the shrimp may have been “prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern,” as reported by USA Today.
The affected products are two-pound bags of Great Value brand Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp with the following lot codes and a “Best by” date of March 15, 2027:
- Lot code: 8005540-1
- Lot code: 8005538-1
- Lot code: 8005539-1
The recalled shrimp was distributed to Walmart locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Consumers who have purchased these products are advised to discard them immediately or return them to any Walmart store for a full refund. “If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away,” the FDA urged in its official statement.
In response to the recall, a Walmart spokesperson told the BBC, “The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority. We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate.”
Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission, commonly used in medical devices and industrial gauges. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), external exposure to large amounts of Cesium-137 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death. The FDA noted that the level detected in the seized shrimp sample was below its threshold for acute health hazards. However, the agency’s concern lies with long-term, repeated exposure to low levels of radiation, which could lead to an elevated risk of cancer by damaging DNA in the body’s cells, as detailed by CBS News.
The FDA has placed BMS Foods on an import alert, which prevents any of the company’s food products from entering the United States until it has resolved the conditions that led to the potential contamination. The agency is also coordinating with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the issue.
