Check your freezer: Shrimp sold in Ga., S.C. recalled over radioactive threat

(NEXSTAR) — Over 85,000 bags of shrimp are being recalled for potential contamination, marking the latest products to be impacted by a radioactive threat.

In a recall notice published Sunday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said three varieties of shrimp sold at Kroger stores in 31 states may be contaminated with cesium-137.

Cs-137 is a product of nuclear fission and is used in medical devices and gauges, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains. It can also be used to gauge “the flow of liquid through pipes,” the agency said, and is “present in the environment from weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s.”

At room temperature, Cs-137 is a liquid, but it can become a powder if bonded with chlorides. Used inappropriately, Cs-137 can burn you, cause acute radiation sickness, and be fatal. Long-term exposure can increase your risk of developing cancer.

Last month, the FDA said it had found an elevated level of Cs-137 in a shipment from Indonesia carrying frozen shrimp products, prompting a recall impacting shrimp sold at Walmart stores. Additional lots of Great Value shrimp were pulled from shelves over potential contamination a short time later. Another 26,000 packages of AquaStar cocktail shrimp sold in Walmart stores were recalled days later.

The latest recall again impacts shrimp sold under the AquaStar name, as well as Kroger-branded shrimp. According to the notice, the raw and cooked shrimp products listed below were available at Kroger stores — Baker’s, 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, Ralphs, Smith’s and QFC — between June 12 and Sept. 17 of this year.

Slideshow: Packaging of shrimp impacted by recall

More specifically, the shrimp was sold in these states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The recall covers three varieties of shrimp:

Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp with net weight of 2 pounds, the UPC of 20011110643906, and the following lot codes and “best if used by” dates listed below. The bags are transparent with a blue band and yellow and red details, according to the notice.

Impacted Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp packages have a net weight of 2 pounds, a clear plastic bag, a white label with green stripes, a UPC code of 011110626196, and one of the two sets of lot codes and best before dates listed below:

Multiple packages of AquaStar Raw Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers have also been recalled. Sold in printed bags with a black top and blue bottom, these have a net weight of 1.25 pounds, a printed picture of the skewers, a UPC of 731149390010, and the following lot and best by date combinations:

So far, the FDA said, no products that have entered the U.S. market have tested positive or alerted for Cs-137.

If you have any of the impacted shrimp, though, you’re advised to dispose of them or return them to the store for a full refund. If you have questions, you can call 1-800-331-3440, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.

The FDA said in August that PT. Baharis Makmur Sejati, the shrimp producer behind the aforementioned recalled products, had violated federal regulations, and an investigation had been launched.

“In conjunction with other information, FDA determined that product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati violates 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,” the FDA said in Sunday’s recall notice.