Senator Kennedy Raises Alarm Over Radioactive Shrimp Turning Us Into Aliens

(KPEL News) - Louisiana U.S. Senator John Kennedy says reports that some shrimp from other companies being sold in our state are radioactive has very concerned that we will turn into aliens.

What Shrimp Is Radioactive?

A few weeks ago, an alert was issued that shrimp sold at Walmart stores in Louisiana and Texas could be contaminated with radioactive material.

The news sent shockwaves across the area, prompting people to check their freezers for shrimp.

The FDA reported several instances of Cesium-137 (a man-made radioactive isotope) detection in Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, following the detection of Cesium-137 in multiple shipments of the product.

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The Jokes Started To Fly Immediately

Tons of memes, jokes, and commentary could be seen across multiple social media platforms about the radioactive shrimp. MSN.com has a collection of 35.

Senator Kennedy says only 2% of imported shrimp is inspected.

READ MORE: LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS TAKE AIM AT DANGEROUS SEAFOOD LOOPHOLE

READ MORE: HERE'S WHY RADIOACTIVE SHRIMP COULD ACTUALLY BE GOOD FOR LOUISIANA SHRIMPERS

In his presentation before the United States Senate, Kennedy did not mince words, saying,

Now, I am biased. I believe in homegrown Louisiana shrimp, fresh out of the Gulf, not radioactive. But I understand that some stores prefer to buy foreign shrimp because it is cheaper. Now we know why: The damn stuff is radioactive.

Kennedy's Presentation Is Helping To Illuminate A Dangerous Situation

While Senator Kennedy does give a serious presentation about the issues facing our shrimpers in Louisiana, there is no doubt that his mention of radioactive shrimp turning us into aliens has gotten attention for the problem.

The real issue is that only 2% of imported shrimp is ever checked out by federal authorities, so when you eat that shrimp, or other imported seafood items, what in the world are you really consuming?

Kennedy says people would be truly stunned to understand the real dangers that are presented to American consumers when we eat products that are sent to us from other countries. This particular shrimp was from Indonesia, but conditions in different countries are also poor. He says,

This shrimp—and I am not just picking on Indonesia; it is other countries. This shrimp is grown in conditions that you can’t possibly imagine. Dirty water. They shoot the shrimp full of antibiotics. I confess, I didn’t know they were shooting them full of this radioactive isotope. But the normal antibiotics that they put in these foreign shrimp are bad enough that if you eat enough of the foreign shrimp, you become resistant to certain bacteria here in America because the antibiotics don’t work on it anymore because you have eaten so many shrimp that contain the antibiotics.

In addition to the potential for all types of different contamination from foreign-sourced seafood, the low prices they offer are killing off the shrimping industry in Louisiana.

Here is the complete presentation from Senator Kennedy.

How Did This Shrimp Get Into America?

Business Insider looked into the issue.

Problems for our local shrimpers here in Acadiana and across our state are continuing. Maintaining a shrimping business is becoming increasingly complex and challenging to turn a profit. They need continued help.

This Week in Louisiana Agriculture explains in more detail.

And, as if things weren't bad enough, the recall is being extended into even more grocery stores nationally.

Kennedy says,

A few days later, it happened again. The FDA and NOAA, which I will talk about in a second, found that there were 26,460 packages of shrimp cocktail and 18,000 bags of frozen cooked shrimp being sold, once again, at Walmart and at Kroger’s throughout the U.S., containing the same radioactive isotope.

Please remember this story the next time you go to purchase shrimp. You might pay a little bit more for Louisiana seafood, but you know it's going to be delicious!