Shrimp sold at Kroger stores in Michigan and 16 other states have been recalled due to possible contamination with radioisotope cesium-137.
AquaStar (USA) Corp, based in Seattle, Washington, has recalled about 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp because it was potentially “prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with the radioisotope, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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This comes as several companies have recalled tens of thousands of packages of imported shrimp sold at Walmart, Kroger and other stores because of possible radioactive contamination.
Related: More companies pull thousands of packages of shrimp for potential radioactive contamination
The recalled Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp was sold at Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarket and Pick ‘n Save in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, MS, NE, OH, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV between July 24 and Aug. 11.
The product is packaged in a clear plastic bag and has a white label with green stripes on top of each bag.
The affected product has the following UPC codes and best by dates:
- UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5139, Best Before 11/19/2027
- UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5140, Best Before 11/20/2027
Cesium-137, also known as Cs-137, is a man-made radioisotope of cesium.
“Traces of Cs-137 are widespread and can be present in the environment at background levels, and at higher levels in water or foods grown, raised, or produced in areas with environmental contamination,” according to the FDA.
The main concern of longer-term, repeated low-dose exposure to Cs-137 is an elevated risk of cancer because of damage to DNA within living cells in the human body. People are exposed to Cs-137 by consuming contaminated food or water.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.
The FDA is investigating reports of Cs-137 contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp processed by the Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, that’s doing business at BMS Foods.
Anyone with questions about the recall can contact BMS Foods at 1-800-331-3440 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday PST.