Indonesian officials said they have reached a deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will allow containers of shrimp from the country to enter the U.S. following a prolonged stretch of recalls.
Indonesian shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati began being recalled in August after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected traces of Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive material, in a container containing shrimp from the company. That recall expanded later that same month, affecting major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Kroger and leading to an import alert for frozen breaded shrimp from Indonesia.
The Associated Press reported in early September that the radioactive material may be linked to an industrial site in Indonesia located near the processing plant used by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, and Indonesia later confirmed the source was a steel factory near the shrimp-packaging facility.
Now, Indonesian media reports the head of the Cs-137 task force has cleared 20 factories near the steel plant of contamination and is still investigating the source of the scrap metal containing the radioactive material.
“The factory has been closed, and the owner has returned to his country,” Bara Krisna Hasibuan, the head of the diplomacy and communications division of the task force, said.
While Indonesia works to clear the facilities of any radioactive material, the Indonesia Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) said it has successfully reached an agreement to clear thousands of containers to enter the U.S., Antara reported.
Head of KKP Product Quality Control and Supervision Agency Ishartini said high-level policymakers in the U.S. approved the entry of the containers on 18 October.
“They granted dispensation for thousands of containers of Indonesian shrimp currently in transit and due to arrive in the U.S. after 31 October 2025,” Ishartini said.
The U.S. FDA had used its new authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to address the presence of Cs-137 in shrimp, which resulted in new requirements that all shrimp from certain regions of Indonesia be certified by the Indonesian government prior to being shipped to the U.S.
The Indonesian industry was worried the announcement could cause issues as thousands of containers of shrimp from those regions were already in transit to the U.S. and could arrive after the 31 October start date of the import alert without the proper documentation.
Ishartini said the issue has been cleared via discussions between the KKP and the FDA.
“We have successfully assured the FDA that more than 1,000 containers of shrimp that will arrive after 31 October have undergone rigorous quality assurance process and are equipped with a Fisheries Product Quality Certificate (SMKHP) issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries," he said.
The containers will still undergo an inspection upon arrival in the U.S. to ensure they are radiation-free, he added.
