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The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three
lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after
federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in
shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from
Indonesia.
The products could pose a “potential health concern” for people
exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials
said.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart
that matches this description, throw it away,” FDA officials
said in a statement.
The risk from the recalled shrimp is “quite low,” said Donald
Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.
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.
The level detected in the frozen breaded 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 FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in
shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur
Sejati, doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs
and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they found
Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los
Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Georgia.
FDA officials collected several product samples and detected
contamination in one sample of frozen breaded shrimp. The
shipping containers and products were denied entry into the U.S.
However, the FDA then learned that Walmart had received
potentially affected products imported after the first
detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination
alerts.
Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company
spokesperson said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw
shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all
with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and
West Virginia. Consumers should discard the products or return
them to any Walmart store for refund.
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