FDA warns public not to eat possibly radioactive shrimp sold at Walmart

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising the public not to eat, sell, or serve certain Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart due to potential contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.

According to an FDA press release on Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detected possible Cesium-137 (Cs-137) in shipping containers at four U.S. ports. Testing on frozen shrimp from the Indonesian distributor BMS Foods also showed positive results.

No shrimp contaminated with Cesium-137 has entered the U.S. food supply so far, the FDA confirmed. Nevertheless, the agency is recommending a recall of all BMS Foods products shipped after the containers tested positive, even if the individual products have not tested positive themselves.

The affected Great Value frozen shrimp products include:

• Great Value frozen raw shrimp, lot code 8005540-1, Best by 3/15/2027
• Great Value frozen raw shrimp, lot code 8005538-1, Best by 3/15/2027
• Great Value frozen raw shrimp, lot code 8005539-1, Best by 3/15/2027

The FDA advises anyone who recently purchased these products to discard them.

The agency is coordinating with distributors and retailers who received shrimp from BMS Foods to recommend recalls. The FDA stated that the shrimp may violate the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act because they appear to have been processed, packed, or stored under unsanitary conditions, potentially leading to Cs-137 contamination and posing a safety risk.