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By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
More than 80,000 bags of frozen raw shrimp were recalled after they were found to possibly be radioactive.
According to an FDA notice, Direct Source Seafood LLC is recalling 83,800 bags that were imported to the United States from Indonesia after an investigation revealed they may have been contaminated with cesium-137, a human-made radioactive isotope.
The company believes the shrimp could have been contaminated ‘because they may have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions’.
The bags of shrimp were later put up for sale under the Market 32 and Waterfront Bistro brand names.
The Market 32 bags were sold at Price Chopper stores on or after July 11 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
The Waterfront Bistro bags were sold at Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Safeway, and Lucky Supermarket stores on or after June 30 in Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
Consumers have been advised not to consume these products and were given guidance to throw the bags away or take them to the store where they purchased them for a full refund.
So far, no illnesses have been tied to anyone consuming this frozen shrimp, according to the FDA.
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More than 80,000 bags of frozen raw shrimp from Direct Source Seafood LLC were recalled after they were found to possibly contaminated with cesium-137, a human-made radioactive isotope
Pictured: The Waterfront-branded raw shrimp that were recalled from stores in 11 states
Pictured: The Market 32 bags of frozen shrimp that were recalled from stores in six states
Humans are exposed to harmless levels of cesium-137 every day because the isotope is present in the environment after nuclear weapons testing throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Cesium-137 is used in radiation therapy devices for treating cancer patients. It’s also used to sterilize medical instruments
With the contaminated shrimp, the FDA is concerned about ‘longer term, repeated low dose exposure’ to the isotope.
Consequences could include an elevated risk of cancer because of ‘damage to DNA within living cells of the body’.
The FDA said it is ‘actively investigating’ incidents of cesium-137 contaminating shipper containers coming from Indonesia.
Consumers concerned about the recall can contact the company at 425-455-2291 on Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm PST.
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