The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its recall of a limited number of bags of frozen shrimp, warning the public not to eat, sell or serve certain frozen shrimp from an Indonesian supplier.
Earlier this week, Walmart said it removed Great Value-brand imported frozen shrimp from store shelves in 13 states after the F.D.A. found contamination from a radioactive isotope in shipping containers and in one sample. On Thursday, the F.D.A. said that Southwind Foods, based in California, had also recalled some of its frozen shrimp because of possible contamination.
Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, said the risk to the public was very low.
“I think they’re doing the recall as a precautionary approach,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
Certain packages of Great Value-brand frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia were recalled.
In addition, Southwind Foods recalled shrimp that was distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to retailers, distributors and wholesalers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.
The F.D.A. said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had reported the detection of cesium-137 in shipping containers at U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga. The agency said it collected multiple samples and confirmed the presence of cesium-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp. The agency said that none of the containers or products that tested positive were allowed into the country.
The shrimp was processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, an Indonesian supplier also known as BMS Foods, according to the F.D.A. All of the packages affected by the recall have a “best by” date of March 15, 2027. No illnesses have been reported to date, the F.D.A. said Thursday. The supplier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The product appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated,” the agency said.
Walmart said in a statement on Wednesday that the health of its customers was a top priority. “We are working with the supplier to investigate.”
Cesium-137, a synthetic radioactive isotope of cesium, is a product of nuclear fission and can be found in trace amounts in soil, food and air.
The F.D.A. said that the level of cesium-137 detected in the breaded shrimp sample fell below the threshold where protective measures should be considered. But it said the isotope could be “a potential health concern” for anyone exposed to it over an extended period when combined with “radiation that exists in the environment and from other sources such as medical procedures.”
Longer-term, repeated, low-dose exposure, for instance through the consumption of contaminated food or water, can lead to an elevated cancer risk, the agency said.
“If you were eating shrimp all the time, like on a daily basis, then there might be more concern,” Dr. Kowalcyk, of George Washington University, said. “But a sporadic exposure is probably not as concerning, mainly because we’re all exposed at some level.”
Americans eat nearly six pounds of shrimp on average per year. The crustaceans are a good source of protein, but shrimp, especially the cheaper varieties, can be treated with chemicals such as sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bisulfite. The F.D.A. considers those chemicals safe in low doses, though about 1 percent of the U.S. population has a sensitivity to sulfites.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics.
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