Supermarket issues urgent product recall over ‘radioactive contamination’

A US supermarket has recalled seafood products after a radioactive material was detected in a shipping container. Customers have been warned not to eat frozen shrimp sold under Walmart's Great Value label amid fears that it was contaminated by a dangerous isotope before being transported frpm Indonesia in shipping containers. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the warning after a sample of breaded shrimp tested positive for the radioactive material, although the batch "did not enter US commerce".

Walmart shoppers in three states have been urged to throw away or return products frm three other batches, due to a potential contamination risk. "The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority," a spokesperson for the multinational retailer said.

Customers have been urged to throw away the products (Image: Getty)

They told the BBC: "We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate."

They added that impacted customers would be eligible for full refunds at Walmart branches across the US.

The recalled products were sold at stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia.

The at-risk batches reportedly came from an Indonesian supplier that has subsequently had several shipments denied entry to the US.

One shipment from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati tested positive from Ceasium-137, a radioactive form of the periodic element Caesium, the FDA said.

The amount detected in the shipment was not enough to pose acute harm to consumers but exposure could pose an elevated cancer risk by damaging living cells in the body, the federal agency warned.

"If you recently purchased one of the impacted lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp from Walmart, throw it away," a spokesperson said. "Not not eat or serve this product.

"Distributors and retailers should dispose of this product and should not sell or serve [it]. If you suspect you have been exposed to elevated levels of cesium, talk to your healthcare provider."