The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expanding a recall of certain brands of shrimp that were imported from Indonesia and may be contaminated with a radioactive isotope called Cesium-137 (Cs-137).
While the recalled shrimp may not present an “acute hazard” to consumers, long term exposure of Cs-137 from contaminated food or water creates an “elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body,” according to the FDA.
All of the recalled shrimp comes from products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, a company located in Indonesia and doing business as BMS Foods, according to the most recent FDA advisory.
The FDA also stated:
In conjunction with other information, FDA determined that product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati violates the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act in that it 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 latest bulletin details two new products added to the recall, which came from Seattle-based Aquastar Corp. One carries the Aquastar name, the other, while also from Aquastar, carries the Kroger brand name.
The expanded recall involves 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp and approximately 18,000 bags of “Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp” being pulled from shelves, according to the FDA advisory.
Fox News summarized the timeline and locations of the ongoing recall:
The affected cocktail shrimp was sold in Walmart stores across 27 states between July 31 and Aug. 16. Meanwhile, affected packages of the Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp were sold in stores across 17 states. However, these packages were not only sold at Kroger locations. Other affected stores include Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, and Pick ‘n Save, according to the FDA.
The lot numbers and more detailed information is available in the latest advisory on the FDA’s website.
The agency warned, “If you recently purchased one of the impacted lots of raw or cooked frozen shrimp throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product.”
The specific source of the Cs-137 in Indonesia has not been disclosed. The isotope is produced as the result of nuclear fission in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.
It was U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the FDA about the contamination detected in shipping containers found at the ports of Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and Savannah, Georgia, according to the FDA.
An investigation is ongoing.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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