Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) delivered a letter to President Trump requesting a pause on foreign shrimp imports due to reports of toxic, radioactive product entering the United States.
In August, Walmart issued a recall of some of its shrimp products - none of which were sold in Louisiana - because of "possible contamination with a radioactive chemical known as cesium-137," a man-made chemical which is dangerous in large amounts. Read about that here: https://www.scrippsnews.com/life/recalls/more-frozen-shrimp-recalled-over-possible-radioactive-contamination
The USDA issued several related recalls, you can see them here: https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2025-recalls-frozen-shrimp-products-associated-cesium-137-contamination-pt-bahari-makmur-sejati-due All of the products were coming from the same company in Indonesia.
According to an article in Supply and Trade, about 1.7 billion pounds of shrimp were imported into the US in 2024; the top importer was India, followed by Ecuador and Indonesia. Annually, about 160 million pounds of shrimp are caught by American shrimpers, according to NOAA.
Congressman Higgins wrote, "Radioactive and contaminated shrimp in our country’s grocery stores is a significant public health threat. I have long maintained that imported seafood can be dangerous, and that stronger preventive measures are necessary to ensure tainted products do not reach American consumers."
"I recommend that you use executive authority to ensure the integrity of our food supply by implementing a pause on shrimp imports until the FDA can guarantee that contaminated and radioactive products are not entering the country. Every shipment of seafood reaching our shores should meet the highest American standards of safety," continued Congressman Higgins.
Here's the letter:
