Recall Alert: Your Walmart Frozen Shrimp May Be Radioactive

The U.S. food supply chain is set up in a way that minimizes the risk of contamination, but no system is perfect. One has to accept that one may occasionally be confronted with bacterial issues, foreign objects, or the potential for radioactive frozen shrimp.

The latter is not a hypothetical. This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public advisory for a specific type of frozen shrimp sold at Walmart. Here’s what you should know—and whether you should invest in a Geiger counter.

1. The FDA Cautions Against Radioactive Frozen Shrimp
2. The Walmart Shrimp Recall at a Glance
3. The Consequences of Eating Radioactive Frozen Shrimp

The FDA Cautions Against Radioactive Frozen Shrimp

The FDA is alerting consumers that the supplier behind the Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart locations in 13 states is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The shrimp is sourced from Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, otherwise known as BMS Foods, and is believed to contain Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a man-made radioisotope found in the environment that can be harmful to human health.

The Walmart Shrimp Recall at a Glance

The FDA was alerted to the presence of Cs-137 through routine testing of the shrimp by Customs and Border Protection. The shipment that tested positive for Cs-137 did not enter any distribution chain and it’s possible none of the contaminated shrimp was ever stocked or sold. The FDA is acting out of an abundance of caution and recommending Walmart stores recall the flagged shrimp and that consumers throw out any they’ve purchased or return it to the store for a refund.

“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” Walmart said in a statement to CBS News. “We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate.”

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The Consequences of Eating Radioactive Frozen Shrimp

Cs-137 is used in the calibration of radiation detectors and medical radiation devices, like those found in cancer radiation treatments. It can also be found as a result of nuclear testing or nuclear accidents. It’s normally in a powdered form, though it can appear as a liquid.

In the case of shrimp, Cs-137 can be ingested and then travel to muscle and soft tissue, where gamma radiation can induce problems.

The FDA found Cs-137 at a level of 68 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) in the shrimp, which is far below the agency’s intervention level of 1200 Bq/kg. In simple terms, this means the amount of Cs-137 found in the shrimp would pose no acute hazard. However, prolonged low-level exposure to Cs-137 can increase the risk of cancer or damage to DNA cells, making it unfit for human consumption. The problem can be amplified when people are exposed to other sources of radiation, like medical imaging.

“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,” the FDA wrote in its advisory. “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.”

The agency is classifying the shrimp as an ongoing investigation. In the meantime, BMS Foods is part of the FDA’s import alert. No products from the company can be imported until the source of the Cs-137 contamination has been identified and resolved.

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