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US regulators are warning customers not to eat or serve potentially radioactive shrimp sold at Walmart — citing possible health dangers including a higher risk of cancer.
Frozen raw shrimp sold by Walmart’s private label Great Value has been recalled after US Customs and Border Protection detected Cesium-137 in the supplier’s shipping containers at ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah and Miami.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product,” the FDA said in a press release Tuesday.
Recalled products:
- Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
- Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
- Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027
Cs-137 is a radioisotope that is typically man-made through nuclear reactions.
Long-term, low-dose exposure can lead to an elevated risk of cancer, due to damage to DNA within the body’s living cells, regulators warned.
The FDA’s own lab testing confirmed the presence of Cs-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp from the same supplier, PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati – an Indonesian company that does business as BMS Foods.
It appears the BMS products were “prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137,” the FDA said in a press release.
All of those products that tested positive were denied entry to the US.
The FDA’s investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, it has urged retailers and distributors – including Walmart – to conduct a recall and has banned all imports from BMS Foods to the US.
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority. We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post in a statement.
The company said it is working with its supplier to investigate the contamination.
Customs and Border Protection is working with Indonesia’s seafood regulatory agencies to determine the cause of the contamination.
