The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its warning concerning radioactive shrimp and has recalled two more brands containing potentially dangerous seafood.
The FDA said nearly 18,000 bags of frozen Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and approximately 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp — both products of Seattle-based Aquastar Corp – were recalled due to potential contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.
A previous alert warned consumers of contamination in Walmart’s Great Value shrimp and frozen shrimp sold by Southwind Foods out of California.
All the shrimp brands targeted in the recalls were initially processed by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, an Indonesian supplier operating as BMS Foods. The company has since been put on a full import alert.
The company was the subject of a “a new import alert for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation,” the FDA said in a press release.
The FDA said that the tainted shrimp may have been contaminated due to it being stored in unsanitary conditions.
No products found in U.S. stores have tested positive for the isotope as of the FDA’s announcement, and no illnesses have been reported.
Cesium is a soft and flexible white metal that can liquify at room temperature. It can easily bond with chlorides, which forms a crystalline powder, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Low doses of the isotope that make it into food or water and then the human body can cause damage to cells’ DNA and increase the risk of cancer, according to the FDA.
External exposure to the isotope can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death.
The Kroger shrimp included in the recall was sold between July 24 and August 11 in 17 states. The stores selling the food include Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, and Pick ‘n Save.
The recalled shrimp packages are two pounds and are packaged in translucent plastic bags with a white label and green stripes on the bag.
The cocktail shrimp was sold at Walmart stores in 27 states between July 31 and August 16, according to the FDA.
The FDA advises consumers with affected products to throw them away.
