FDA probes Cesium-137 in Indonesian shrimp as Walmart recalls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting an active investigation after radionuclide Cesium-137 was detected in shipping containers and in at least one sample of frozen shrimp processed in Indonesia. The development prompted Walmart to recall three lots of Great Value frozen raw shrimp sold in 13 states, and it prompted a broader recall of additional shrimp products from other suppliers, including Southwind Foods, which distributed under several brand names to retailers and wholesalers across nine states. Officials say no contaminated shipments have entered U.S. commerce to date, but the recalls are being pursued as a precaution while the investigation proceeds.

Federal regulators traced the contamination to PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, known as BMS Foods, and to Indonesian shipping containers at four ports, with the first detection triggering an import alert that blocked those shipments from entering the United States. One sample of frozen breaded shrimp tested positive for Cesium-137, a manmade radioactive isotope linked to nuclear reactions and past environmental incidents. The level detected was far below intervention thresholds, but the FDA has cautioned that even...