FDA issues warning, investigating after radioactive shrimp bound for Walmart detected at major US ports

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.

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.