Shrimp Recall – Urgent Walmart : 13 States Toss Radioactive Risk Now

Walmart Issues Major Recall on Great Value Shrimp Over Radioactive Contamination Fears- Shrimp Recall

In a significant food safety alert, retail giant Walmart has been forced to recall specific batches of its frozen shrimp products across the United States. The urgent move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected a dangerous radioactive isotope, Caesium-137, in a sample shipment.

The FDA has explicitly warned the public not to consume the affected products, which were sold under Walmart’s popular Great Value label. The contamination is believed to have originated from the shipping containers used to transport the seafood from an Indonesian supplier.

While officials stress that the single positive sample identified “did not enter US commerce” and the levels found were not enough to cause immediate acute harm, long-term exposure to Caesium-137 significantly elevates the risk of cancer by damaging living cells within the body.

A Walmart spokesperson stated, “The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority… We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate.”

The recall affects consumers in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Shoppers in these states are urged to immediately check their freezers.

What You Need to Do: Shrimp Recall

• Identify the Product: The recall involves Great Value Breaded Shrimp from three specific batches. Check any packages you have.
• Do Not Eat: If you have a product from the recalled lots, do not consume it.
• Dispose or Return: You can dispose of the product immediately or take it to your nearest Walmart store for a full refund, with or without a receipt.

This incident has triggered increased scrutiny on the supplier, which has now had multiple shipping containers denied entry into the United States. The FDA has confirmed that while no Caesium-137 was found in other tested products from the supplier, this initial finding does not completely rule out the possibility of broader contamination.

Caesium-137 is an artificial radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission. It is a well-known contaminant from nuclear incidents like the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan. Though present in trace amounts globally, concentrated exposure is a serious health hazard.

This recall underscores the critical importance of robust food safety checks in the global supply chain and serves as a stark reminder for consumers to stay informed about public health alerts from trusted sources like the FDA and CDC.

For the most current information, you can read the official FDA announcement here and Walmart’s recall policy here. Shrimp Recall