The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public not to eat frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in the United States, including Florida.
The recall was issued for possible radioactive chemical contamination, even though, "at this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137 — Cs-137 — has entered the U.S. commerce," the FDA said.
Inspectors detected Cesium-137 in a shipment of imported frozen shrimp from Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, which does business as BMS Foods. Walmart sells the products under its Great Value brand, the FDA said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the FDA to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports, including one in Florida.
Here's what you should know.
What Great Value shrimp has been recalled for possible radioactive contamination?
The FDA said Cs-137 was confirmed in one sample of breaded shrimp, which was denied entry into the United States.
The recall applies to two-pound bags of Great Value brand Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp. Lot codes and best by dates are:
Lot code: 8005540-1; best by date: 3/15/2027
Lot code: 8005538-1; best by date: 3/15/2027
Lot code: 8005539-1; best by date: 3/15/2027
The shrimp "appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern," the FDA said.
Walmart stores in 13 states sold recalled shrimp, including Florida
Two-pound bags of raw frozen shrimp products processed by the Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, which does business as BMS Foods, were sold at Walmart stores in:
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Missouri
Mississippi
Ohio
Olahoma
Pennsylvania
Texas
West Virginia
What should you do if you bought the recalled shrimp at Walmart?
The FDA learned "Walmart received implicated raw frozen shrimp, imported after the date of first detection of Cs-137" by Border Patrol from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137. The "FDA has recommended Walmart recall this product.
"If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product," the FDA said.
"If you suspect you have been exposed to elevated levels of cesium, talk to your healthcare provider."
Border Patrol alerted FDA to Cs-137 at 4 ports, including Miami, Florida
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted FDA to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports:
Miami
Los Angeles
Houston
Savannah
"After being alerted to the contamination of shipping containers detected by CBP, FDA initiated sampling of products which included five different shrimp products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, one of which was a sample of frozen breaded shrimp.
"FDA's laboratory confirmation of Cs-137 in the breaded shrimp had detectable levels of Cs-137 present. There was no detectable Cs-137 in the other products tested; however, this does not rule out contamination."
Is the recalled shrimp dangerous? Should I be concerned?
The "FDA has not detected Cs-137 in any product above the current derived intervention levels for Cs-137 (1200 Bq/kg).
"However, FDA has concluded that the level detected in the breaded shrimp sample could represent a potential health concern for those exposed to this level of Cs-137 from consumption of the shrimp over an extended period of time combined with radiation that exists in the environment and from other sources such as medical procedures."
What is Cesium-137?
"Cesium-137 (Cs-137) is produced by nuclear fissions for use in medical devices and gauges. It can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death," according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"Cs-137 is a radioisotope of cesium that is man-made through nuclear reactions and because it is widespread worldwide, trace amounts of Cs-137 can be found in the environment, including soil, food, and air," the FDA said.
"FDA food monitoring focuses on radioisotopes (radionuclides) that are not normally present and are generally the result of human activities."
"Small quantities of Cs-137 can be found in the environment from nuclear weapons tests that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s," the CDC said.
"It can also be found in nuclear reactor accidents, such as the Chernobyl power plant accident in 1986, which distributed Cs-137 to many countries in Europe."
No products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati allowed into US
"FDA added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to a new import alert for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation," the FDA said.
The FDA investigation is ongoing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Raw shrimp sold at Florida Walmart recalled. Radioactive contamination
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