Walmart remembers frozen shrimp about possible radioactive pollution

Walmart recalled that frozen, raw shrimp were sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have possible radioactive pollution. The US Food and Drug Administration has asked Walmart to remove three very large value frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in the shippers and a sample of the fried shrimp imported from Indonesia. The products could have a “potential healthcare” for people who were exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said. “If you recently bought raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matched this description, throw it away,” FDA officials said in a statement. Donald Schaffner, an expert on food safety at Rutgers University, said the risk of remembrance of shrimp is ‘pretty low’. Cesium-137 is a by-product of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It is widespread all over the world, with trace quantities in the area, including soil, food and air. The level detected in the frozen baked shrimp was much lower than the FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially infected products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time. The FDA examines reports of Cesium-137 pollution in the shipping and products processed by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, and does business as BMS foods from Indonesia. Our US Customs and Border Protection officials warned FDA that they had found Cesium-137 in the shippers sent to US ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Georgia. FDA officials collected several product samples and detected pollution in one sample of frozen baked shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied to the US, but the FDA then learned that Walmart received potentially affected products that were imported after the first detection, from shipping that did not cause pollution warnings. Walmart immediately remembered the products, a company spokeswoman said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers must discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for repayment. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Division receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is exclusively responsible for all content.