Radioactive shrimp recall expanded for bags sold at Kroger stores
FILE - Several thousand pounds of frozen and cooked shrimp have been recalled due to possible radioactive contamination. (FDA)
A recall for potentially radioactive shrimp has been expanded to include more products sold at Kroger stores across the United States, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration alert.
Aquastar Corp. said on Saturday it recalled nearly 157,000 additional pounds of shrimp due to possible contamination with cesium 137, a radioactive isotope.
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, the FDA said.
Expanded recall
Dig deeper:
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.
Senator says imported shrimp will make you an alien
In a speech on the Senate floor, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy talked about radioactive shrimp and aliens, with a blown-up photo of the alien from the 1979 movie “Alien” behind him as a reference.
What you can do:
The FDA is advising consumers who have the affected products to either dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
What is Cesium-137?
Cesium-137 (Cs-137) is a man-made radioactive substance created in nuclear reactions.
Since it spreads easily, small traces can be found in soil, food, and air around the world. FDA monitoring mainly looks for radioactive substances that should not normally be in food and may come from human activities.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the FDA website, The Associated Press and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from San Jose.