In mid-August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory stating that select shrimp products destined for stores in the United States may be contaminated with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive isotope that could have devastating health consequences.
Now, the FDA has issued additional alerts covering additional products that may be contaminated with the radioactive isotope, including some sold at major grocery store chains like Kroger. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s happened?
In August, the FDA issued a food safety advisory alerting the pubic to potential Cs-137 contamination in select shrimp products.
Fast Company previously reported on the potentially radioactive shrimp that were sold at Walmart under the Great Value brand. A few days later, the FDA issued an additional notice expanding the radioactive shrimp recall to additional brands, including Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American, and First Street.
At the heart of the recall is shrimp manufactured by an Indonesian-based supplier called BMS Foods. U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) detected Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports, which alerted the agency to the possibility of contaminated products.
Why is Cs-137 bad?
Due to nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s, there are already trace amounts of Cs-137 in the environment. But exposure to larger concentrated amounts—like contaminated food—can cause serious health effects.
Cs-137 can damage DNA, leading to an increased risk of cancer. Ingestion of Cs-137 can also lead to acute radiation sickness.
After the CBP’s discovery, the FDA posted two recall notices covering shrimp products sourced from BMS Foods. Now, the FDA has issued another three recall notices expanding the number of potentially radioactive shrimp products consumers should be on the lookout for.
What are the latest recalled products?
On August 28, the FDA published a new recall alert covering select shrimp products sold at Kroger and other grocery stores.
Under this recall, approximately 18,000 2lbs bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp are being recalled due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137.
The recalled products have the following codes:
- UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5139, Best Before 11/19/2027
- UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5140, Best Before 11/20/2027
The recalled products were sold between July 24 and August 11, 2025, at the following grocery stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New England, Ohio, South Caroline, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia:
- Baker’s
- Gerbes
- Jay C
- Kroger
- Mariano’s
- Metro Market
- Pay Less Supermarkets
- Pick ‘n Save
Also on August 28, the FDA posted another radioactive shrimp recall notice for approximately 26,460 packages of Cocktail Shrimp 6oz manufactured by AquaStar (USA) Corp of Seattle, Washington, due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137.
The product has the UPC code 19434612191 and the Lot Codes 10662 5106, 10662 5107, 10662 5124, and 10662 5125.
This recalled product was sold between July 31 and August 16, 2025 at Walmart stores in Arkansas, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North dakaota, New England, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Fast Company reached out to Kroger and AquaStar for comment.
One day later, the FDA posted yet another recall notice, this one for frozen shrimp produced by Southwind Foods, LLC of Carson, California, due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137.
This recalled shrimp was distributed to unnamed retailers, distributors, and wholesalers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington between July 17 – August 8, 2025.
What should I do if I have the radioactive shrimp products?
It should be noted that Cs-137 hasn’t been confirmed to be present in all the recalled shrimp products above. Rather, the products are at risk of being contaminated with Cs-137.
As of the time of this writing, there are no known illnesses attributed to any of the recalled shrimp products with the potential for Cs-137 contamination.
The FDA says that if you have any of the recalled products, you should not consume them. Instead, you should dispose of the recalled shrimp products or return them to their place of purchase for a refund.
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