Image Credentials: Image Title: Walmart Recalls Shrimp After Radioactive Material Detected in Shipment Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: August 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
Walmart has issued a recall of certain shrimp products in the United States after radioactive material was detected in a seafood shipment, raising public health concerns.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), frozen shrimp sold under Walmart’s Great Value label may have been exposed to Caesium-137, a radioactive isotope, during shipping. While one sample of breaded shrimp tested positive, the FDA confirmed that this specific batch had not entered U.S. commerce.
Still, as a precaution, the FDA advised consumers in 13 states to dispose of shrimp purchased from three specific batches. The recalled products were sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.
FDA urges Walmart to recall potentially radioactive shrimp — and cites heightened cancer risks https://t.co/Dku3gHhgjw pic.twitter.com/PUpKCRG3eB
— New York Post (@nypost) August 19, 2025
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate.” Customers who purchased the affected products are eligible for a full refund at any Walmart location.
The contaminated shrimp originated from an Indonesian supplier, which has since had multiple shipping containers denied entry into the U.S. by the FDA. One of the shipments tested positive for Caesium-137.
Although FDA officials stated that the detected levels were not sufficient to cause immediate harm, long-term exposure could increase the risk of cancer by damaging living cells. Caesium-137, a byproduct of nuclear reactions, is among the primary radioactive contaminants around Chernobyl in Ukraine and Fukushima in Japan.
The FDA emphasized that no Caesium-137 was found in additional tested batches, but cautioned that this does not fully rule out contamination.
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