After FDA discovered radioactive isotope Cesium-137 in shipments of shrimp and spices from Indonesia, the Indonesian government launched an investigation and discovered environmental contamination near where the shrimp processor is located. The cause of cloves contamination is not yet determined.
After discovering radioactive isotope Cesium-137 in shipments of shrimp and spices from Indonesia, FDA is exercising for the first time a power granted by Congress under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to require food safety certification for imports.
FDA detected radioactive isotope Cesium-137 (Cs-137) in a shipment of Indonesian cloves, due to heightened surveillance efforts initiated after radioactive shrimp was detected in another Indonesian import. Additionally, the radioactive shrimp recall has been expanded, and now affects Walmart, Kroger, and other retailers nationwide.
Originally limited to Great Value products sold at Walmart, FDA is warning consumers not to eat or purchase imported frozen shrimp sold under five additional brand names, originating from a single distributor, due to potential radioactivity.
FDA has issued a safety alert raw frozen shrimp products that tested positive for radioactive isotope Celsium-137, which were imported from Indonesia and sold at Walmart stores in 13 states. The agency recommends a recall.
Introduced by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), the Senate Bill 667, named the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, would require FDA to ensure that food safety inspections for shrimp in importing countries meet standards equivalent to those upheld in the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is piloting a new kind of international partnership that will allow for increased safety of food imported to the U.S., with shrimp as the focus.
