Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination

Clouds walk complete nan Walmart shop Aug. 14, 2025, successful Manchester, N.H. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

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Charles Krupa/AP

Walmart has recalled frozen, earthy shrimp sold successful 13 states because national wellness officials opportunity it could person imaginable radioactive contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to propulsion 3 tons of Great Value marque stiff shrimp from stores aft national officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, successful shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.

The products could airs a "potential wellness concern" for group exposed to debased levels of Cesium-137 complete time, FDA officials said.

"If you person precocious purchased earthy stiff shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, propulsion it away," FDA officials said successful a statement.

The consequence from nan recalled shrimp is "quite low," said Donald Schaffner, a nutrient information master astatine Rutgers University.

Cesium-137 is simply a byproduct of atomic reactions, including atomic bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It's wide astir nan world, pinch trace amounts recovered successful nan environment, including soil, nutrient and air.

The level detected successful nan stiff breaded shrimp was acold little than FDA involution levels. However, nan agency said that avoiding perchance contaminated products could trim vulnerability to low-level radiation that could lead to wellness problems complete time.

The FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination successful shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, doing business arsenic BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they recovered Cesium-137 successful shipping containers sent to U.S. ports successful Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Georgia.

FDA officials collected respective merchandise samples and detected contamination successful 1 sample of stiff breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied introduction into nan U.S.

However, nan FDA past learned that Walmart had received perchance affected products imported aft nan first detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination alerts.

Walmart instantly recalled nan products, a institution spokesperson said. They see Great Value marque stiff earthy shrimp pinch batch codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, each pinch best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold successful Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers should discard nan products aliases return them to immoderate Walmart shop for refund.