August 19, 2025
US FDA issues advisory on potentially contaminated Indonesian shrimp products
By Felipe Peroni and Ignacio Garcia
HIGHLIGHTS
Advisory targets raw frozen shrimp processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati
FDA says no contaminated products have reached US yet
The US Food and Drug Administration issued a public advisory against the consumption and sale of certain imported frozen shrimp products from Indonesia, due to potential contamination of Cesium-137, according to the Aug. 19 advisory.
The advisory specifically targets raw frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, sold under the Great Value brand at Walmart stores. The agency has added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to an import alert for chemical contamination, effectively blocking the import of the company's products until it resolves the conditions that led to the contamination.
No products that have tested positive for Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of caesium, have entered the US commercial sector so far, according to the FDA, but the agency recommended the recall of certain lots of frozen shrimp to distributors and retailers, including Walmart.
The FDA detected Cesium-137 in a single shipment of imported frozen breaded shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati before it entered the US's commercial sector. Laboratory analysis detected CS-137 levels of approximately 68 Bq/kg in the shipment, which is below 1,200 Bq/kg, the agency's Derived Intervention Level, which is considered the limit for the introduction of protective measures.
However, the agency recommended avoiding exposure at such levels, as it could have health impacts over a long period of time, such as an elevated risk of cancer.
The investigation started after the US Customs & Border Protection detected CS-137 in shipping containers at four US ports. The agency said the investigation is ongoing, aimed at tracing implicated products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati through the supply chain.
In the first half of 2025, Indonesia was the third-largest supplier of shrimp to the US, having been the origin of 70,959 mt of US imports, marking a 14% increase on the year, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
US-based importers have been trying to diversify shrimp suppliers after the government announced 50% tariffs on imports from the US' largest provider of shrimp, India.
Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed CIF New York PDTO IQF 16-20 counts/lb shrimp at $4.80/lb, or $10,582/mt, on Aug. 19, down 40 cents/lb, or $882/mt, on the day.
