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Specific lots of frozen raw shrimp sold in stores in several states, including Georgia, have been recalled over a serious health concern.
Walmart has recalled select frozen shrimp products imported from Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods) due to a potential risk of radioactive contamination, CBS News reports. The products could be contaminated with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioisotope of cesium produced by nuclear fission that could cause "elevated risk of cancer" in consumers through long term, repeated low dose exposure, according to a safety alert from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The recall affects the Great Value brand of frozen raw shrimp with the lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with the best by date of 3/15/2027. The impacted products were sold at Walmart stores in 13 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia.
A warning was issued after Customs and Border Protection detected Cs-137 in a single shipment of frozen shrimp from BMS Foods; however the FDA notes that none of the products entered U.S. commerce.
"The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority," Walmart said in a statement. "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 should not consumer them and throw them out immediately and contact the place of purchased for a full refund. For more information about the recall, visit fda.gov.