JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville seafood company voluntarily recalled a frozen raw shrimp product over possible radioactive contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Beaver Street Fisheries, located on W Beaver Street, announced on Friday that it would recall a limited quantity of Great Value Frozen Raw Shrimp EZ-Peel & Deveined Tail-On 21-25 per pounds as a precautionary measure recommended by the FDA regarding possible Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination.
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According to the FDA, Cs-137 is a man-made radioactive form of cesium that can be present in the environment at background levels, and at higher levels in water or foods grown, raised, or produced in areas with environmental contamination.
News4JAX reached out to Beaver Street Fisheries about their next steps for this recall. They stated the following:
Why did you decide to do a voluntary pull of the product? Beaver Street Fisheries takes food safety very seriously, and as soon as the FDA issued the alert, we acted quickly out of an abundance of caution to voluntarily remove any product sourced from this supplier. Protecting our customers is our top priority.
What measures, if any, would be taken moving forward as a preventative measure? Customs and Border Protection initially brought this issue to the FDA’s attention during their port-of-entry screening procedures. We are currently working in close coordination with the FDA, and any preventative actions we implement will be guided by the outcomes of their investigation. Specifically, we are looking to strengthen testing protocols based on risk for these types of environmental contaminants, both at the overseas sourcing locations and upon arrival in the United States.
Candice Nagel, Beaver Street Fisheries
The recalled product was distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia, and was available for purchase at some Walmart stores from July 28 to Aug. 7.
Product details:
- Product Name: Great Value Frozen Raw Shrimp EZ-Peel & Deveined Tail-On 21-25 Per pounds
- Packaging: Plastic bag
- Item UPC / Lot Codes / Best By Dates:
- UPC 078742133898, Lot Code 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.
- UPC 078742133898, Lot Code 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.
- UPC 078742133898, Lot Code 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.
Consumers who bought the recalled frozen shrimp should not eat it and should dispose of the product or return it to the store they bought it from for a full refund, the FDA said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cs-137 is used in small amounts for calibration of radiation detection equipment. Exposure to Cs-137 can increase the risk of cancer because of the presence of high-energy gamma radiation.
News4JAX spoke with James Gelsleichter, a biology professor at the University of North Florida, to get a better understanding. He’s been a scientist for 30 years.
“In the case of Cesium 137 it releases high energy sub atomic particles such as beta particle and also high energy waves known as gamma rays so you can kind of look at this as x rays releasing high energy waves and if this is something that is ingested by an individual there is the potential that decay is happening in the body and that the issues are getting exposed to these high energy waves and potentially could experience some damage to DNA or proteins,” Gelsleichter said.
No illnesses have been reported due to the recalled product, officials said.
“The amount of cesium that was detected in the shrimp was much lower than what would be associated with an acute affect. Acute affects are when we are exposed to really high levels of radiation that could potentially cause radiation sickness,” Gelsleichter said.
Click here to learn more about Cs-137.
For additional questions, consumers are asked to call customer service at 904-354-8533.