Sen. Kennedy Raises Alarm Over Radioactive Shrimp
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy expressed serious concerns about the potential dangers of radioactive shrimp. He warned that consuming this seafood might even lead to a grotesque transformation—like becoming an “alien.”
This follows a public advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August, which cautioned Americans against eating or selling certain imported shrimp linked to an Indonesian firm, PT. Bahari McMur Sejati. Kennedy’s comments came during discussions on the 2026 Defense Program and Policy Act, where he highlighted worries about the continued importation of foreign frozen shrimp.
“Mr. President, this is a picture of an alien from the film ‘Alien,'” Kennedy remarked. “This could be what you look like after consuming raw frozen shrimp imported from other countries.” He noted that in late August, the FDA found this shrimp being sold at Walmart stores in places like Missia Island, Alabama, and others across states like Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania under the Great Value Label.
“Why would you look like an alien? Because the shrimp were radioactive. I’m not exaggerating here. There’s a radioactive isotope called cesium-137, and it can be deadly.” Kennedy emphasized how serious the situation was, pointing out that even after the FDA issued a recall, more radioactive shrimp made it back onto store shelves, with thousands of packages found at Kroger stores nationwide.
The FDA confirmed the existence of cesium-137 in some shrimp products and stated that harmful shipments continued to arrive from Indonesian exporters. Although some batches tested negative, others have made their way to U.S. companies like Aquastar, Southwind Foods, and Beaver Street Fisheries, prompting warnings of recalls.
The FDA is currently investigating the matter and has indicated that no products have tested positive for cesium-137 in the U.S. market yet. However, they’ve pointed out violations by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati regarding the conditions under which their shrimp were prepared, packaged, or stored, raising safety concerns.
Questioning the process further, Kennedy criticized the NOAA for its lack of thorough testing of foreign seafood, suggesting that even China might be doing a better job in this regard. He highlighted that the discrepancy in health standards meant that imported shrimp might be less safe than those harvested domestically.
“Eating too much of these foreign shrimp could make you resistant to certain bacteria because of the antibiotics they contain,” he shared, emphasizing that this is not the kind of practice that should be accepted in the U.S.
Kennedy also expressed a personal preference, stating, “I’m biased—I believe in fresh, homemade Louisiana shrimp. Not radioactive ones.” He lamented how some retailers choose foreign shrimp primarily for cost reasons and suggested that this could explain the radioactive problem, calling for better oversight from NOAA to ensure safety standards are upheld.
In May, a bill introduced by Republican Representative Mike Ezel aimed to improve shrimp import regulations. The proposed legislation seeks to amend federal food and drug laws to implement stricter requirements for foreign shrimp facilities. The bill would require that all countries exporting shrimp to the U.S. comply with American food safety standards, and noncompliant importers could face restrictions.
