Shrimp sold at Walmart may be radioactive, FDA warns

(Gray News) - The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about certain frozen shrimp sold at Walmart that may be radioactive.

The FDA has recalled certain lots of Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp after they detected Cesium-137 in several shipments of the product. Cesium-137, or Cs-137, is a man-made radioactive isotope created during nuclear reactions.

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The amount detected in one of the shipments was below the FDA’s “derived intervention level” for Cs-137 and does not pose an “acute hazard” to humans. However, the FDA said the recall and other measures they’ve taken are to “reduce exposure to low-level radiation.”

Long exposure to low-level radiation is associated with an elevated risk of cancer.

Three lots of Great Value Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp were impacted. The product comes in 2lb bags, has a Best-By date of March 15, 2027, and an item code of 738108. The impacted lot codes are 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1.

The recalled products were sold in Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia.

The FDA said they are working with Customs and Border Patrol to ensure none of the contaminated products reach consumers. So far, they’ve detected contaminated shipments in four U.S. ports.

None of the products that tested positive for Cs-137 has entered U.S. commerce, according to the FDA.

Consumers are advised to throw away the recalled shrimp immediately and not to eat or serve it.

The recalled shrimp was imported from Indonesia and processed by the firm PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati. The FDA said they are working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to discover the cause of the contamination.

PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati was added to an FDA import alert and all products from the company have been stopped until the issue is resolved.

The FDA said its investigation remains ongoing.