--- title: "Rejoice! Trump’s FDA Says You Can Eat a Surprising Amount of Walmart’s Radioactive Shrimp Without Major Issues" description: "The FDA isn't exactly saying you should eat the radioactive Walmart shrimp, but it definitely isn't saying that doing so will kill you." date: "2025-08-20" modified: "2025-08-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/trump-fda-walmart-radioactive-shrimp" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "fda" - "radioactive" - "shrimp" - "walmart" --- # Rejoice! Trump’s FDA Says You Can Eat a Surprising Amount of Walmart’s Radioactive Shrimp Without Major Issues ![The FDA isn't exactly saying you should eat the radioactive Walmart shrimp, but it definitely isn't saying that doing so will kill you.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* The Food and Drug Administration definitely wants the public to avoid eating those potentially [radioactive frozen shrimp bags]() sold at Walmart — but if you have a little, as a hazardous little treat, it probably won't kill you. In its [advisory warning]() about the potential contamination, the FDA noted that although the [nuclear byproduct]() Cesium-137 (Cs-137) was indeed detected in a shipment of frozen shrimp from the Indonesian company BMS Foods to Walmart, the amount wasn't high enough to pose any serious risk unless you binge it. As the agency explains, Cs-137 was found at levels of 68 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) — a [unit that measures radioactivity]() — in one sample of breaded frozen shrimp and in shipping containers used to transport the product. But the FDA doesn't consider any food product to be [dangerously contaminated]() with Cs-137 unless it reaches a level of 1,200 Bq/kg, meaning that the amounts detected would not, per the press release, "pose an acute hazard to consumers." With folks like *Business Insider*'s Katie Notopoulos [jokingly begging for permission]() to "eat the radioactive shrimp from Walmart," the idea of guzzling down some of these potentially contaminated crustaceans seems to have [consumed some]() [people online](). Luckily, if anyone takes the bit too far, they'll probably be OK. While the FDA is nevertheless advising people to throw away any of Walmart's "Great Value"-branded bags of shrimp they might have in their freezers, the agency insists there's very little risk of getting super sick if you ate some already. This is especially true because, as the agency explains, there was only one known shipment of contaminated shrimp, and none of those bags seem to have made their way to any Walmart stores after the Cs-137 was detected at American ports. Things become a bit more dire, however, if one person were to have eaten a bunch of contaminated shrimp, which could result in "exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time." Specifically, the FDA warns that the main health concern from such long-term exposure to Cs-137 "is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, [makes Cs-137 poisoning]() sound even scarier, with those who come into contact with it sometimes experiencing "burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death." Still, considering that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the anti-vaxxer in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the FDA, once ate [so much tuna and perch fish]() that it gave him mercury poisoning, it seems unlikely that the agency is going to put *that* much effort into warning people not to consume potentially radioactive shrimp. **More on the Walmart shrimp debacle:** [*How Did Walmart Frozen Shrimp Become Contaminated With Radioactive Material?*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()