The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expanding a recall of frozen shrimp products days after border officials detected a radioactive isotope at four ports around the country. Southwinds Foods, a food distributor based in California, initiated a voluntary recall due to possible contamination with Cesium-137. Traces of Cs-137 are present in the environment in small amounts but can become elevated in foods that are grown in areas with environmental contamination. The agency said it has not detected Cs-137, which can cause an elevated risk of cancer, in any food shipment that entered circulation in the U.S. However, it did detect the isotope in a shipment of shrimp imported from Indonesia, which did not enter U.S. commerce. The FDA is investigating the company that produced the shrimp that tested positive, PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati. The Southwinds recall will affect retailers in nine states, including Virginia, California, and Massachusetts, and it will force major grocery stores like Kroger to take products off their shelves. Affected shrimp brands include Sand Bar, Bet Yet, Arctic Shores, and Great American. Consumers who bought the recalled products can return them to stores for a full refund. The FDA did not respond to a request for comment.
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