US recalls shrimp over potential radioactivity scare

The seafood imported from a company in Indonesia has been marketed in 13 states by retail giant Walmart, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on its website.

The recall follows the detection of the radioactive isotope Cesium 137 in shrimp imported through the company called PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, the advisory said.

The level of radioactivity detected was minimal and the product would not pose "an acute hazard" to consumers, the FDA said.

No shrimp imported by the company and stocked for sale in US stores has tested positive for radioactivity, the agency said.

But shrimp from the firm "appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern."

Over the long term, even low-dose Cesium exposure is linked to an elevated risk of cancer, it added.

The FDA asked Walmart to stage a recall of the shrimp and urged people who already bought the product to throw it away.