Shrimpers along the Gulf Coast are calling for stronger federal protections, saying unfair foreign trade practices and international investment are devastating their industry.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday said it is actively investigating after a shipment of Walmart shrimp tested positive for a man-made radioactive material.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) alerted the FDA to the detection of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed in Indonesia at four U.S. ports, including Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and Savannah, Georgia, according to a news release from the FDA.
Officials collected multiple samples for radionuclide analysis, confirming Cs-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp. The shrimp supplier, PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (aka BMS Foods), was added to the “red list,” meaning its products cannot be sold in the U.S. until the issue is resolved.
The frozen shrimp tested positive for radioactive contamination. (FOX News / Fox News)
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Officials said the product appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions, causing it to be contaminated with Cs-137.
After CBP flagged the contaminated shipping containers, the FDA issued an import alert on Thursday for chemical contamination.
Walmart allegedly received potentially contaminated raw frozen shrimp imported after the date of first detection by CBP, but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137, according to the release.
The FDA urged Walmart to recall the impacted shrimp. (FOX News / Fox News)
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Walmart immediately recalled the shrimp at the direction of the FDA.
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” Walmart wrote in a statement to FOX Business. “We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate.”
The FDA said it is continuing to coordinate with CBP to prevent any contaminated products from reaching consumers.
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The agency added it is working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination.
FDA officials said consumers should not eat or serve Great Value raw frozen shrimp from Walmart with lot codes: 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1.
Those who have recently purchased the affected shrimp should throw them away, officials said.
The FDA said the product appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions, leading to the contamination. (iStock / iStock)
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Cs-137 is a man-made radioactive material created during nuclear reactions. Trace amounts of Cs-137 can be found in the environment, including soil, food and air.
Any unexpected finding of Cs-137 in a food product is evaluated by the FDA to determine if follow-up action is warranted on a case-by-case basis.
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The FDA said it will continue working to trace all implicated products processed by BMS Foods through the supply chain.
BMS Foods did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.