For the sixth time in more than a month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling frozen shrimp products for possible contamination by Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.
But so far, there are no indications that the radioactive shrimp has caused any illnesses among consumers.
The latest company to voluntarily pull possibly contaminated sea food from the shelves is Seattle-based AquaStar. It is recalling three types of shrimp products that were sold in grocery stores across 31 states in the U.S., including California.
The possible contaminated products sold between June 12 and Sept. 17 include:
- Nearly 50,000 bags, each weighing 2 pounds, of Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp.
- Approximately 18,000 bags, each weighing 2 pounds, of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp.
- More than 17,000 bags, each weighing 1.25 pounds, of AquaStar Raw Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers.
The affected products were sold at the following grocery stores: Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food Stores, Gerbes, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, Pick ‘n Save, Ralphs, Smith’s and QFC.
For specific product codes consult the FDA’s online recall notice.
All three products are being pulled from the shelves because they may have been prepared, packed or held in unsanitary conditions.
Consumers who purchased affected shrimp should not eat it and should either throw it away or return it to the grocery store for a full refund, officials advised.
This is the latest recall in an ongoing investigation of reports of shrimp contaminated by Cesium-137.
The extent of the FDA’s contaminated shrimp investigation
The investigation started on Aug. 19 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the FDA to the detection of Cesium-137 in a single shipment of imported frozen shrimp from the Indonesia-based company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, which does business under the name BMS Foods.
At the time, officials detected the radioactive isotope at four ports across the nation: Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga.
All containers and products that tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137 have been denied entry into the country and have not made it to store shelves, according to FDA officials. The FDA did not respond to The Times’ request to address whether the recalled shrimp products came from BMS Foods or another source.
Still, since August, three companies had recalled products, including Southwind Foods of Carson, which had two recall announcements; Beaver Street Fisheries of Florida had one; and Aquastar had a total of three, including the latest September recall.
As of Tuesday no illnesses have been reported.
Is the frequency of radioactive shrimp recalls normal?
Experts say it isn’t normal to see frequent recalls specific to Cesium-137 or any potential radioactive contamination.
Small amounts of Cesium-137 can be found in the soil, food and air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
It can most often be found in areas where contamination came as a result of nuclear accidents or weapons testing, said Sara Bratager, the Institute of Food Technologists’ senior food safety and traceability scientist.
The American Nuclear Society noted that, “Cesium-137 is detectable in shrimp originating from the Pacific Ocean due to past nuclear testing and accidents.”
Food, or any other object, can be contaminated in an environment that is using Cesium-137 or it can be taken up through the food chain, said Kai Vetter, a radiological specialist with UC Berkeley’s nuclear engineering department.
“In this case, it is possible that Cesium-137 food irradiators were used in the processing facilities which are being used to sterilize food and instruments,” Vetter said. But the FDA has previously stated food irradiators do not make foods radioactive.
Another possible contamination scenario is, “the shrimp could have ingested Cesium-137 via other contaminated food from other sources,” Vetter said.
Food experts say the growing number of shrimp recalls indicates that the FDA food safety inspection program is doing its job.
According to FDA, testing as of Aug. 19 “has not confirmed the presence of contamination of any product in commerce,” demonstrating that the food safety inspection is working as intended, Bratager said.
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