The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning advising consumers, retailers, and distributors not to eat, sell, or serve certain frozen shrimp imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods) in Indonesia due to potential contamination with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive substance.

The FDA, alerted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), detected Cs-137 in a shipment of breaded shrimp, with levels at 68 Bq/kg, below the FDA’s Derived Intervention Level of 1200 Bq/kg, indicating no immediate health risk but a potential concern for long-term, repeated exposure due to an elevated cancer risk. The affected products, sold under the Great Value brand at Walmart stores in 13 states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, OK, PA, TX, WV), include specific lots of raw frozen shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1, and 8005539-1, all with a best-by date of 3/15/2027.

Although no contaminated products have entered U.S. commerce, the FDA has recommended that Walmart recall these shrimp, which were imported after the initial Cs-137 detection but did not trigger alerts. The FDA has added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to an import alert (IA 99-51) to block further imports until sanitary conditions are resolved, and the agency is working with CBP and Indonesian authorities to investigate the contamination’s source.

Consumers are advised to dispose of the affected shrimp, and the FDA continues to trace the supply chain to ensure public safety.