Latest news with #radioactivecontamination
CNN
16 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
FDA warns against eating certain shrimp sold at Walmart amid investigation into radioactive contamination
The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday urged the public not to eat certain bags of frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart, citing concerns about unsanitary conditions and radioactive contamination found in shipments from the same supplier. The FDA said that a radioactive isotope, cesium-137, was detected in a sample of breaded shrimp detained at US ports – in Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami – from an Indonesian supplier named BMS Foods. Those contaminated shipments never reached the US market. However, because Walmart's raw frozen shrimp came from the same supplier – and the agency said it 'appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137' – officials advised consumers to avoid eating them. The levels of cesium detected – about 68 becquerels per kilogram – were well below the FDA's intervention level of 1,200 Bq/kg. Still, regulators issued the advisory out of caution, citing the potential risks of cancer from long-term, low-dose exposure and problems at the supplier's facility. The advisory applies to 2-pound Great Value bags of white vannamei shrimp, all carrying a best-by date of March 15, 2027. They were distributed to Walmart stores in at least 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. The agency is advising consumers who purchased the shrimp to throw it away or return it, and, said an investigation is ongoing in conjunction with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities. Walmart confirmed to CNN that it 'immediately recalled the product from impacted stores.' CNN has also reached out to the supplier for comment.
CNN
17 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
FDA warns against eating certain shrimp sold at Walmart amid investigation into radioactive contamination
The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday urged the public not to eat certain bags of frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart, citing concerns about unsanitary conditions and radioactive contamination found in shipments from the same supplier. The FDA said that a radioactive isotope, cesium-137, was detected in a sample of breaded shrimp detained at US ports – in Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami – from an Indonesian supplier named BMS Foods. Those contaminated shipments never reached the US market. However, because Walmart's raw frozen shrimp came from the same supplier – and the agency said it 'appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137' – officials advised consumers to avoid eating them. The levels of cesium detected – about 68 becquerels per kilogram – were well below the FDA's intervention level of 1,200 Bq/kg. Still, regulators issued the advisory out of caution, citing the potential risks of cancer from long-term, low-dose exposure and problems at the supplier's facility. The advisory applies to 2-pound Great Value bags of white vannamei shrimp, all carrying a best-by date of March 15, 2027. They were distributed to Walmart stores in at least 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. The agency is advising consumers who purchased the shrimp to throw it away or return it, and, said an investigation is ongoing in conjunction with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities. Walmart confirmed to CNN that it 'immediately recalled the product from impacted stores.' CNN has also reached out to the supplier for comment.
Washington Post
20 hours ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Walmart shrimp may have been exposed to radioactive material, FDA says
The Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that the public should avoid eating certain frozen shrimp sold at Walmart due to concerns that the seafood may have been contaminated with radioactive material. Health officials said in a news release that it is investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by an Indonesian company, PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati of Indonesia, also known as BMS Food. Some of the raw frozen shrimp products processed by an Indonesian company are sold at Walmart stores in thirteen states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia, according to the FDA. Among the products includes Walmart's "great value brand frozen shrimp," the health agency said. "If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away," the FDA said. "Do not eat or serve this product." Health officials advised people to talk to their healthcare providers if they think they've been exposed to elevated levels of the contaminant. PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati and Walmart did not immediately return requests for comment. Cs-137 is the radioactive form of Cesium, "a soft, flexible, silvery-white metal that becomes liquid near room temperature" used for medical devices and gauges, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Repeated exposure to low doses of Cs-137 can increase the risk of cancer, "resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body," health officials said in their news release. The FDA said that the U.S. Customs & Border Protection alerted the health agency to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers in Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah and Miami. It said that all containers and product that tested positive for Cs-137 were denied entry into the country. Health officials also cautioned that it did not detect Cs-137 in any product above the current derived intervention levels for Cs-137, of 1200 Bq/kg. However, the FDA said that "the level detected in the breaded shrimp sample could represent a potential health concern" if it is combined with radiation in the environment or from medical procedures. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
21 hours ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
FDA Warns Public Not to Eat Frozen Shrimp That Could Be Radioactive
Food recalls and warnings happen every day. But the latest warning from the Food and Drug Administration about frozen shrimp is an odd one. That's because the health agency is concerned about possible radioactive contamination. The FDA issued an alert on Tuesday for some Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart. The shrimp was processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati of Indonesia, also known as BMS Foods, and flagged by Customs and Border Protection at four different ports of entry. The FDA explains that it hasn't found shrimp on store shelves that have tested positive for radioactive contamination, but is concerned the food 'may have become contaminated with Cs-137' because it 'appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions.' The FDA reportedly found Cs-137 in a single shipment of shrimp that obviously wasn't allowed to be sent to stores. The amount of Cs-137 found in the shrimp was 68 Bq/kg, which is below the standard for federal intervention, which sits at 1200 Bq/kg. Cs-137 is a radioisotope of cesium that is not naturally occurring and comes from nuclear explosions that started to contaminate Earth's atmosphere since the first tests of 1945. Trace amounts of Cs-137 can now be found in the environment, and the FDA explained in its alert that it was concerned about the kind of exposure the shrimp had while being prepared and packaged. The shrimp lots that are being recalled: Consumers are being told to dispose of any shrimp they find with those lot codes. 'FDA has also added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to a new import alert for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation,' the health agency said. The U.S. shrimp industry has long complained about foreign shrimp undercutting prices for the domestic product, and the Southern Shrimp Alliance has been highlighting what it calls 'disturbing reasons' the FDA must crack down on shrimp imported from Indonesia. The group pointed to a health alert from Aug. 14 over concerns about unsanitary conditions. The Southern Shrimp Alliance has welcomed President Donald Trump's tariffs on shrimp from Asia, which are pretty much guaranteed to raise prices for consumers but will give local shrimpers a better shot at staying competitive. Trump has threatened a 50% tariff on India, which is likely to drive many shrimp companies in that country to either go out of business or look for other markets. India already faces a 25% tariff, and another 25% is scheduled to be tacked on Aug. 27 to hurt the country over its purchase of Russian oil, according to Reuters. BMS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Gizmodo will update this article if we hear back.
