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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRadioactive shrimp recall.... Walmart!😱🦐
(I hope it's OK to post >4 paragraphs of an FDA alert, as they are trying to get the word out and I don't think the usual copyright considerations would apply)
https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm
"August 19, 2025
FDA is actively investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods) of Indonesia. The U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) alerted FDA to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports (Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami). FDA collected multiple samples for radionuclide analysis, with results confirming the presence of Cs-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp. All containers and product testing positive or alerting for Cs-137 have been denied entry into the country. The agency continues to coordinate with CBP to prevent any contaminated products from reaching consumers and is working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination.
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 and may pose a safety concern. To date, FDA has learned that Walmart has received implicated raw frozen shrimp, imported after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by CBP, but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137. FDA has recommended Walmart recall this product.
Consumers should not eat or serve certain lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, OK, PA, TX, and WV:
Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.
If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product.
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. FDA food monitoring focuses on radioisotopes (radionuclides) that are not normally present and are generally the result of human activities. Any unexpected finding of Cs-137 in a food product is evaluated to determine if follow up action is warranted on a case-by-case basis. 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 at 68.48 Bq/kg +/- 8.25 Bq/kg. There was no detectable Cs-137 in the other products tested; however, this does not rule out contamination.
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. Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time. FDA has taken swift action to prevent potentially contaminated product from being introduced into U.S. commerce in response to reports of contaminated shipping containers from CBP. On August 14, 2025, FDA posted a new import alert (IA 99-51) for chemical contamination under section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati has been added to the red list of this alert due to the presence of Cs-137. The import alert ensures that no implicated shrimp products will enter U.S. commerce until the company resolves the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.
FDA will continue working with industry to trace all implicated products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati through the supply chain to gather as much information about them as possible and take action as appropriate. Product information will be added to this advisory as it becomes available.
Product Descriptions
Consumers should not eat or serve certain lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, OK, PA, TX, and WV
Brand Product Name Product Type Best By Item Code Lot Code Distributor
Great Value Frozen Raw White Vannamei Shrimp Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp, 2lb bag 3/15/2027 7383108 8005540-1 Walmart
Great Value Frozen Raw White Vannamei Shrimp Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp, 2lb bag 3/15/2027 7383108 8005538-1 Walmart
Great Value Frozen Raw White Vannamei Shrimp Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp, 2lb bag 3/15/2027 7383108 8005539-1 Walmart
Useful Links
Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry resources.
Centers for Disease Control and Preventions- Cesium-137
Import Alert # 99-51
Who to Contact
Consumers who have symptoms should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care.
To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), visit Industry and Consumer Assistance.
Contact Number1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
SheltieLover
(81,729 posts)Bluestocking
(798 posts)I would rather pay more for a more pleasant shopping experience and now I wont shop there for safety reasons
SheltieLover
(81,729 posts)FirstLight
(15,771 posts)It was boud to end up in the food supply...
MrWowWow
(1,461 posts)Last edited Tue Aug 19, 2025, 09:54 PM - Edit history (2)
Tuna caught in San Diego tested positive for radiation contamination.
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/05/tuna-fish-contaminated-fukushima-radiation-california
.
Radiation Contamination Chronology:
.
March 2011: Following the earthquake and tsunami that led to the nuclear disaster, radioactive materials were released into the ocean.
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April 2011: Fish samples collected off the coast of Japan showed elevated levels of radioactive cesium, particularly cesium-137.
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2012: Studies indicated that fish caught in the vicinity of Fukushima had detectable levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137, with some species showing levels above safety limits set by various health organizations.
The presence of radiation in marine life has been a concern for both local fisheries and international markets, leading to ongoing monitoring and research in the years following the disaster.
DBoon
(25,148 posts)Two examples from Wikipedia of fatalities resulting from mis-use of devices containing CS-137 .
In the Goiânia accident of 1987, an improperly disposed of radiation therapy system from an abandoned clinic in Goiânia, Brazil, was removed, then cracked to be sold in junkyards. The glowing caesium salt was then to be sold to curious, unadvised buyers.[35] This led to four confirmed deaths and several serious injuries from radiation contamination.[36][37]
...
The 1994 Tammiku incident involved the theft of radioactive material from a nuclear waste storage facility in Männiku, Saku Parish, Harju County, Estonia. Three brothers, unaware of the facility's nature, broke into a shed while scavenging for scrap metal. One of the brothers received a 4,000 rad whole-body dose from a caesium-137 source that had been released from a damaged container, succumbing to radiation poisoning 12 days later.
MrWowWow
(1,461 posts)Last edited Tue Aug 19, 2025, 07:19 PM - Edit history (1)
Would love to bring my handheld unit into a WalMart and see what happens.
Bluestocking
(798 posts)Attilatheblond
(9,249 posts)Hmmm, how do voters in those states feel about government departments with regulations and inspections?
Just doing some dot connecting in my feeble old mind.
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