MINNEAPOLIS, MN — More brands have been added to an already massive recall of potentially radioactive shrimp, including some products sold in Minnesota, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns consumers of the dangers in eating it.
A pair of recall notices last week is tied to an ongoing investigation by the agency into the detection of Cesium-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports. Indonesia-based BMS Foods issued a recall after a sample of its breaded shrimp tested positive for Cs-137.
The FDA said Friday that Southwind Foods was recalling bagged frozen shrimp products sold under various brand names in nine states, including Minnesota.
The products distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to retailers, distributors and wholesalers include frozen cooked and raw shrimp sold under the Sand Bar, Best Yet, Arctic Shores, Great American and First Street brands. “Best-by” dates extend into 2027.
A full product list can be found on the FDA website.
The FDA also said AquaStar (USA) Corp. of Seattle had recalled about 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp and about 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp.
The cocktail shrimp was sold in Walmart stores in 28 states, including Minnesota. It was sold between July 31 and Aug. 16 in the refrigerated section, and had a 12-day shelf life.
More information can be found on the FDA website.
The recalled peeled shrimp was sold at several Kroger Co. stores, including Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C., Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, and Pick ‘n Save stores in 17 states, not including Minnesota.
The recalled shrimp was sold between July 24 and Aug. 11, according to the FDA. It was packaged in 2-pound clear plastic bags and has “best-by” dates of Nov. 19-20, 2027.
More information can be found on the FDA website.
Earlier, the FDA warned consumers not to eat Walmart’s Great Value brand frozen shrimp products without checking to see if they’re involved in the recall. The shrimp was distributed to Walmart stores in 13 states, including Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The radiation contamination was discovered in shipping containers at ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Georgia, as well as in some shrimp products. The FDA said the containers and cargo testing positive for radiation contamination have been denied U.S. entry, and that more alerts could be coming.
The FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination. The investigation includes tracing all implicated products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati through the supply chain to gather as much information about them as possible and take action as appropriate.”
At the level detected, the Cesium-137, or Cs-137, wouldn’t immediately make people sick, but the FDA warned repeated low-level exposure to radiation could increase the risk of cancer due to changes to DNA within the living cells of the body.