Originally published on 8/20/25

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about Walmart’s popular Great Value Raw Frozen Shrimp, which may be contaminated with a radioactive isotope called Cesium-137 (Cs-137). Cs-137 is a byproduct of nuclear fission—the same process linked to nuclear weapons testing and disasters like the 1986 Chernobyl explosion. Below, we break down everything you need to know about the FDA’s alert, including what to do if you recently purchased the affected shrimp.

What the FDA has said about Walmart shrimp 

On Tuesday, August 19, the FDA announced that several cases of the Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart might have been contaminated with Cs-137. The potentially contaminated shrimp came from an Indonesian-based company called Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods) and was limited to Walmarts in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. 

As of publication “no product that has tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137  has entered the U.S. commerce,” but the FDA still recommends that people that purchased the Great Value Frozen Raw White Vannamei Shrimp in the states listed above check their freezers for lot codes: 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1 as they believe those to be the contaminated batches. 

“If you recently purchased one of the impacted lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp from Walmart, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product,” the FDA said in a statement. “Distributors and retailers should dispose of this product and should not sell or serve this product.” 

Following the initial announcement, The FDA has launched an investigation into how exactly the radioactive materials ended up in the shrimp, but have shared that it does violate “the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act in that it appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern.” 

Health risks associated with Cesium-137

Along with the warning notice, the FDA also shared what health risks are associated with consuming Cesium-137, but added that “the level of Cs-137 detected in the detained shipment was approximately 68 Bq/kg, which is below FDA’s Derived Intervention Level for Cs-137 of 1200 Bq/kg. At this level, the product would not pose an acute hazard to consumers.” 

However, if you are exposed to Cs-137 for a long time, they believe that it could elevate your risk of cancer, “resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body.” 

If you ate the frozen shrimp and want to make sure everything’s okay, the FDA recommends that you talk to your primary physician. They also recommend checking out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry resources, which can help you further understand what’s happening.

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/food-recipes/food-news/everything-to-know-about-walmarts-radioactive-shrimp-recall