More shrimp sold at Kroger stores recalled for possible radioactive contamination
A Seattle seafood distributor has recalled more cooked and frozen shrimp sold at Kroger grocery stores across the U.S. because of ongoing concerns about potential radioactive contamination.
Aquastar Corp. on Saturday recalled nearly 157,000 additional pounds of shrimp because of possible contamination with cesium 137, a radioactive isotope. The new recall includes nearly 50,000 bags of Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp, about 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and more than 17,000 bags of AquaStar Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers.
The products were sold between June 12 and Sept. 17 at grocery stores in more than 30 states. They include Bakers, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foodsco, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, Pick ‘n Save, Ralph’s, Smith’s and QFC.
The company previously recalled shrimp products in August.
The new recall is the latest action in an ongoing investigation of potential contamination with cesium 137, a byproduct of nuclear reactions, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The risk appears to be small, but the shrimp could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of cesium 137 over time, FDA officials said.
The FDA issued a safety alert in August warning consumers not to eat certain frozen shrimp imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, an Indonesian company doing business as BMS Foods. Cesium 137 was detected in shipping containers from the company sent to several U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp.
None of the shrimp that triggered alerts or tested positive for cesium 137 was released for sale, the FDA emphasized at the time. But other shipments sent to stores may have been manufactured under conditions that allowed the products to become contaminated, the agency said.