Remember Blinky, the three-eyed fish from "The Simpsons"? Well, some of the radioactive fish's crustacean kin might've found their way into Walmart's frozen food aisle. On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of Great Value frozen shrimp due to possible radioactive contamination. The recall affects 2-pound bags of Walmart's Great Value brand Frozen Raw Ez Peel Tail-On Farm-Raised White Vannamei Shrimp with lot codes 8005538-1, 8005539-1, and 8005540-1.
According to the recall announcement, U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents found traces of the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 (Cs-137) in a shipment of frozen shrimp. The contaminated shrimp were produced by Indonesian supplier PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati. It's not the first time that radioactive groceries have caused a stir. In 2021, a shipment of vodka made from apples grown near Chernobyl was seized by Ukrainian authorities.
Cs-137 is highly radioactive. The man-made isotope is often used in medical devices, industrial equipment, and cancer treatment, but it's also a byproduct of nuclear fission. In high levels, it causes burns, radiation sickness, and death, though most people are exposed to small amounts of Cs-137 in the environment thanks to nuclear fallout from Cold War-era weapons testing.
According to the FDA, the shrimp "appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137." The FDA will continue to block imports from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati "until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation."