Sen. John Kennedy says radioactive shrimp will turn you into an Alien

Sen. John Kennedy says radioactive shrimp will turn you into an Alien

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) made a spectacle on the Senate floor on Wednesday, suggesting consuming the shrimp could cause a person to turn into the chestburster alien from the 1970 SciFi horror movie Alien.

Sen. Ted Kennedy (R-LA) made a spectacle on the Senate floor on Wednesday, suggesting consuming the shrimp could cause a person to turn into the chestburster alien from the 1970 SciFi horror movie Alien. (Image: C-SPAN)

In the midst of the ongoing debacle concerning the recall of radioactive shrimp from Walmart, Kroger, and other U.S. stores, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) caused quite a stir on the Senate floor on Wednesday. He suggested that consuming the shrimp could result in a person transforming into the chestburster alien from the 1970 SciFi horror movie Alien.

"This is a photograph of the alien from the movie "Alien. " This is what you could end up looking like if you eat some of the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries. How could you end up looking like the alien in the "Alien"? Because the shrimp was radioactive," Kennedy stated on Wednesday while standing next to a large cardboard picture from the 1979 film.

Social media users were quick to ridicule Kennedy's claims.

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"Were all these people this stupid before trump got into office or is there a brain worm infestation in all MAGAts?" one user posted on X.

"I think Kennedy already got into the shrimp, he looks half-alien. Pretty sure this is just RFK Jr.'s brain worm," another user commented on X.

Last week, AquaStar USA Corp. of Seattle announced that it is recalling more than 26,000 packages of refrigerated cocktail shrimp sold at Walmart stores in 27 states between July 31 and Aug. 16. The company is also recalling approximately 18,000 bags of Kroger-branded cooked, medium peeled, tail-off shrimp sold at stores in 17 states between July 24 and Aug. 11.

Meanwhile, HandN Group Inc. , a wholesale seafood distributor based in Vernon, California, is pulling more than 17,000 cases of frozen shrimp that were sold to grocery stores across the East Coast, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration notice.

The recall started on Aug. 12.

The items have been withdrawn because they may contain Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope created as a byproduct of nuclear reactions. While the risk appears minimal, the shrimp could present a "potential health concern" for individuals exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over extended periods, FDA officials stated.

The FDA released a safety alert this month advising consumers to avoid eating certain frozen shrimp imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, an Indonesian firm operating under the name BMS Foods.

Cesium-137 was found in shipping containers from the company that arrived at U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp.

The FDA has also placed PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati on a new import alert for chemical contamination to prevent products from this company from entering the U.S..

It's still unknown how the containers or shrimp became contaminated. Federal authorities said they are conducting an investigation and refused to answer detailed questions from The Associated Press regarding the source or scope of the contamination.

The FDA confirmed that none of the shrimp that triggered alerts or tested positive for Cesium-137 was released for sale. However, they noted that other shipments sent to stores may have been manufactured under conditions that allowed the products to become contaminated.

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Association, a package of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination is seen (Image: AP)

The affected cocktail shrimp was sold in Walmart stores across 27 states. The FDA says consumers should dispose of the affected shrimp or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/fda-expands-radioactive-shrimp-recall-amid-concerns-over-possible-contamination

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials first detected the potential radioactive contamination in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and Savannah, Georgia. Upon detection, customs officials alerted the FDA, which conducted tests of packaged shrimp and confirmed Cesium-137 in a single sample.

Nuclear radiation experts agreed that the health risk is low, but emphasized the importance of determining the source of the contamination and sharing that information with the public.