Topline
The Food and Drug Administration announced this week shrimp recalls made by Aquastar and Kroger that impact tens of thousands of bags of frozen shrimp, noting potential radioactive contamination and marking the latest recall of the crustaceans the U.S. has seen since August.
The FDA announced a recall of 49,920 bags of Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp, about 18,000 bags (net wt. 2lbs) of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and about 17,264 bags (net wt. 1.25lbs) of AquaStar Raw Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers, expanding on a recall initiated in August.
The expanded recall was made because the shrimp were potentially “prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with cesium-137,” a man-made radioisotope of cesium that with longer term, repeated low dose exposure can cause an elevated risk of cancer.
No illnesses have been reported for the recall as of Sept. 21 as the FDA investigates Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, a large Indonesian shrimp exporter doing business as BMS Foods.
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Nuclear radiation experts have said the health risk is low, according to the Associated Press, which noted the level of cesium 137 found in the frozen shrimp was about 68 becquerels per kilogram, a measure of radioactivity that is “far below the FDA’s level of 1,200 becquerels per kilogram that could trigger the need for health protections.”
“At this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137 has entered the U.S. marketplace,” the FDA said in a Monday statement.
Four recalls linked to PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati have been made since mid-August involving AquaStar, Southwind Foods and Beaver Street Fisheries. The Aquastar recall was expanded this week while the Southwind was expanded in late August.
The 36 states impacted by the four recalls are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foodsco, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, Pick ‘n Save, Ralphs, Smith’s, QFC and Walmart.
The FDA first warned about the potentially radioactive shrimp in August, when it identified some Great Value brand frozen shrimp sold at Walmart could be impacted. The International Atomic Energy Agency, speaking on the source of the shrimp, said the potentially contaminated shrimp could be linked to a smelting facility or scrap metal disposal at the site where PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati is located.
FDA Warns Some Frozen Shrimp Might Be Contaminated With Radiation (Forbes)