"Significant" for the size of the area, as well as its timely traditions—here's why a swath of the South should check its stock.
Fat Tuesday celebrations might have featured gumbo, jambalaya, and plenty more dishes starring seafood and fish—but a new health report from a top U.S. agency reveals that a mainstay of traditional Southern cooking is under recall in parts of that region.
A Los Angeles area-based wholesale seafood distributor, H & N Group, is the recalling firm for a total of 3,780 one-pound bags of frozen cooked medium shrimp that are said to be peeled, deveined, and tail-off. A Thursday FDA report reveals that the recall was initiated on February 9, cited for “Product manufactured under insanitary conditions whereby it may have been contaminated with Cesium-137 (Cs-137),” according to the FDA’s alert.
Spelled elsewhere as “caeseium,” the possible presence of this radioactive isotope sparked a similar recall in late 2025 on seafood imported from Indonesia. At that time, the FDA elaborated on the risk to consumers’ health, explaining that “the level detected in the … shrimp sample could represent a potential health concern if individuals are exposed for a long period of time when combined with radiation that exists in the environment and from other sources, such as medical procedures.” The agency added: “Avoiding products with such levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have adverse health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time.”
The FDA’s February 18 alert notes that H & N Group’s shrimp was “distributed to a single retail consignee with multiple locations [approximately 30] in the greater Houston and Gulf Coast areas.” The product was distributed in cases containing 10 units, and it’s not clear whether it went to consumer retail outlets, foodservice accounts, or both.
Identifying details for the shrimp include the following lot numbers and expiry dates, according to the FDA notice:
- Lot EA14 25118, Best By October 28, 2026
- Lot EA14 25119, Best By October 29, 2026
This week, the FDA assigned the event a Class II designation, signifying what they deem “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
This report follows another recent recall on frozen salmon for possible Listeria contamination.
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