In brief
Aquastar Corp. recalled nearly 157,000 pounds of shrimp products sold at Kroger and other grocery stores due to potential cesium 137 contamination. The FDA has issued alerts and stress the importance of monitoring shrimp safety to protect public health.
A Seattle-based seafood distributor, Aquastar Corp., has expanded its recall of frozen shrimp products sold at Kroger grocery stores across the United States over ongoing concerns regarding radioactive contamination.
This latest recall includes approximately 157,000 pounds of shrimp due to potential contamination with cesium 137, a radioactive isotope. The affected products include nearly 50,000 bags of Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp, 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp, and over 17,000 bags of AquaStar Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers.
These shrimp were sold between June 12 and September 17, in grocery stores in over 30 states, covering retailers such as Bakers, City Market, Dillons, and Fred Meyer.
Previously, in August, Aquastar had already recalled some shrimp products, and the new recall is the continuation of an investigation into cesium 137 contamination. While the FDA indicates the risk seems minor, prolonged exposure to low levels of cesium 137 could pose potential health concerns.
The FDA had previously issued a safety alert in August cautioning consumers against eating certain frozen shrimp products imported from Indonesian firm PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, also known as BMS Foods. This company was flagged after cesium 137 was detected in shipping containers sent to various U.S. ports.
Although the FDA emphasized that no contaminated shrimp batches were released for sale earlier, there remains concern regarding other shipments potentially affected by the conditions under which they were manufactured.
Furthermore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection records reveal over 3 million pounds of shrimp exported by BMS Foods were received at U.S. ports in September alone. Investigations suggest that contaminated metals at the processing site in Indonesia might have contributed to the radiation in the shrimp.
Overall, while experts agree that the radiation risk is trivial, they highlight the necessity of pinpointing the contamination's source to reassure public safety. The level of cesium 137 found in the shrimp was measured at about 68 becquerels per kilogram, well below the FDA's limit of 1,200 becquerels that would require health safety measures.
