U.S. regulators are urging customers not to eat or serve certain Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart after testing detected possible radioactive contamination.
In a press release Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said consumers should “throw it away” if they purchased shrimp matching the recalled descriptions.
Recall Details
The recall applies to three batches of frozen raw shrimp under Walmart’s Great Value label:
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Lot code 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
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Lot code 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
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Lot code 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
The shrimp was imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods), an Indonesian seafood company.
Cesium-137 Contamination
The FDA confirmed the presence of Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive isotope typically created through nuclear reactions, in one sample of breaded shrimp from BMS Foods.
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Detected at U.S. ports: Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami
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Health risks: Long-term, low-dose exposure can increase cancer risk by damaging DNA in living cells
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Regulatory response: All BMS products testing positive for Cs-137 were denied entry to the U.S.
The FDA also said the shrimp appeared to have been “prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions.”
Walmart’s Response
Walmart confirmed it has pulled the recalled shrimp from shelves.
“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,” a Walmart spokesperson said.
The company added it is working with its supplier to investigate the source of the contamination.
Ongoing Investigation
Customs and Border Protection is coordinating with Indonesian regulators to determine how the radioactive contamination occurred. Meanwhile, the FDA has placed an import ban on all BMS Foods shrimp products until the issue is resolved.
