The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced additional company recalls of frozen shrimp products over possible contamination by a radioactive isotope.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based seafood supplier AquaStar has joined the list of companies recalling frozen shrimp products exported by Indonesia-based PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati. According to a 14 August alert from the FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detected the radioisotope Caesium-137 (Cs-137) in shipping containers at multiple ports. Testing revealed contamination on a sample of breaded shrimp, leading to recalls of multiple shrimp products by Beaver Street Fisheries and Southwest Foods.
On 27 August, AquaStar recalled approximately 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp which were sold at Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, and Pick ‘n Save across more than a dozen states. On 28 August, AquaStar recalled approximately 26,460 packages of its own Cocktail Shrimp 6oz product, which were sold at Walmart locations in more than a dozen states.
On 2 September, Beaver Street Fisheries expanded its recall alert.
According to the FDA, additional firms have issued recall alerts directly to their customers.
Still, the FDA’s ongoing investigation has not found any contaminated shrimp products that have reached consumers. The agency claims the Indonesian shrimp products violated U.S. health regulations and has issued an import alert for any products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati.
“In conjunction with other information, FDA determined that product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati violates the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act in that it appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern,” the agency said. “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.”
According to the FDA, the level of Cs-137 detected “would not pose an acute hazard to consumers,” although long-term exposure to low-level radiation can have impacts on health.
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was critical of the contaminated shrimp at a 26 August cabinet meeting, announcing that the FDA had increased inspections in response to the discovery.
“South Asian nations are now dumping shrimp on our country. Their shrimp is heavily contaminated,” Kennedy said. “We just stopped a shipment that was contaminated with Cesium-137, which is radioactive. They’re farming these shrimps and they use bactericides and antibiotics and all kinds of chemicals, and the shrimp are so contaminated the European nations won’t take them. So they’re dumping them all here.”
