Potentially Radioactive Shrimp Recall Expanded Across US: 4 Things to Know

The FDA flagged several lots of Walmart’s Great Value brand and California-based Southwind Foods frozen shrimp.

A package of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination. U.S. Food and Drug Association via AP

Notices published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week indicated that several brands of frozen shrimp were recalled after being sold in locations across the United States because they may be contaminated with a radioactive isotope.

The FDA flagged several lots of Walmart’s Great Value brand frozen shrimp on Aug. 22 and about a dozen lots of frozen shrimp from California-based Southwind Foods on Aug. 21. Both companies used shrimp that were processed by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, an Indonesian company that is doing business as BMS Foods.

The FDA said it recommends throwing away any shrimp that match the criteria or returning the product to the place of purchase for a refund. It also advised that people not eat the frozen shrimp or serve the product.

Where the Shrimp Was Sold

According to the notices, the bags of frozen Southwind shrimp were distributed to retailers, distributors, and wholesalers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.

The products are both raw and cooked frozen shrimp, sold in several sizes and as salads.

The Great Value shrimp was distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia, the notice said.

Import Alert

The FDA said in its advisory that it is actively investigating reports of cesium-137 in shipping containers and in frozen shrimp products that were processed by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati. Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope known as Cs-137, can be produced through nuclear reactions.

“All containers and product testing positive or alerting for Cs-137 have been denied entry into the country,” the FDA said. “The agency continues to coordinate with [Customs and Border Protection] to prevent any contaminated products from reaching consumers and is working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination.”

The agency has since placed an import alert on PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, meaning that the FDA “may detain without physical examination shipments of identified products” from the company as long as the designation remains intact.

Symptoms of Radiation Sickness

Cs-137 is often produced through nuclear fission for use in radiation-detection equipment such as medical devices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“People are exposed to some Cs-137 every day, because amounts of Cs-137 are present in the environment from weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s,” the CDC states on its website.

But when people are exposed to large amounts, the isotope can be dangerous.

The Environmental Protection Agency says on its website that exposure to the radioactive substance could increase the risk of developing cancer because of “the presence of high-energy gamma radiation.”

“Internal exposure to Cs-137 through ingestion or inhalation allows the radioactive material to be distributed in the soft tissues, especially muscle tissue, which increases cancer risk,” it states.

Full List of Products Under Recall

Three lots of Walmart’s Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp were recalled. They were sold between July 17 and Aug. 8, according to the company that produces the Great Value shrimp, Beaver Street Fisheries, which is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

The products include the Great Value Frozen Raw Shrimp EZ-Peel & Deveined Tail-On 21–25 per pound with a best by date of March 15, 2027, and a UPC code of 078742133898. They have the lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1, and 8005539-1, according to the recall notice.

A separate recall is for five brands from the Southwind Foods company: Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American, and First Street, according to a notice last week. The recall includes 13 lots, the company said on its website.

The products below have been recalled:

• Frozen raw shrimp 31/40 Sand Bar 2-pound bag, lot code 087305
• Frozen cooked shrimp 31/40 Best Yet 1-pound bag, lot code 095944
• Frozen cooked shrimp 31/40 Best Yet 1-pound bag, lot code 111154
• Frozen cooked shrimp 41/50 Best Yet 1-pound bag, lot code 095946
• Frozen large cooked shrimp 31/40 Arctic Shores 1-pound bag, lot code 109562
• Frozen small cooked shrimp 61/70 Arctic Shores 1-pound bag, lot code 109540
• Frozen small cooked shrimp 91/120 White Arctic Shores 12-ounce bag, lot code 109541
• Frozen cooked salad shrimp 150-200 Arctic Shores 6-ounce bag, lot code 109542
• Frozen raw shrimp 16/20 Great American 2-pound bag, lot code 125143
• Frozen raw shrimp 16/20 First Street 2-pound bag, lot code 130632
• Frozen raw shrimp 71/90 Great American 2-pound bag, lot code 128267
• Frozen cooked shrimp meat Great American 1-pound bag, lot code 134010
• Frozen cooked shrimp 41/60 Great American 2-pound bag, lot code 128275

The FDA said that it has “learned that Walmart has received implicated raw frozen shrimp, imported after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by [Customs and Border Protection], but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137.”

“Although testing to date has not confirmed the presence of contamination in any product in commerce, the product appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137,” the agency stated.