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In mid-August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory stating that select shrimp products destined for stores in the United States may be contaminated with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive isotope that could have devastating health consequences. Now, the FDA has issued additional alerts covering additional products that may be contaminated with the radioactive isotope, including some sold at major grocery store chains like Kroger. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? In August, the FDA issued a food safety advisory alerting the pubic to potential Cs-137 contamination in select shrimp products. Fast Company previously reported on the potentially radioactive shrimp that were sold at Walmart under the Great Value brand. A few days later, the FDA issued an additional notice expanding the radioactive shrimp recall to additional brands, including Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American, and First Street. At the heart of the recall is shrimp manufactured by an Indonesian-based supplier called BMS Foods. U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) detected Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports, which alerted the agency to the possibility of contaminated products. Why is Cs-137 bad? Due to nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s, there are already trace amounts of Cs-137 in the environment. But exposure to larger concentrated amountslike contaminated foodcan cause serious health effects. Cs-137 can damage DNA, leading to an increased risk of cancer. Ingestion of Cs-137 can also lead to acute radiation sickness. After the CBPs discovery, the FDA posted two recall notices covering shrimp products sourced from BMS Foods. Now, the FDA has issued another three recall notices expanding the number of potentially radioactive shrimp products consumers should be on the lookout for. What are the latest recalled products? On August 28, the FDA published a new recall alert covering select shrimp products sold at Kroger and other grocery stores. Under this recall, approximately 18,000 2lbs bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp are being recalled due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137. The recalled products have the following codes: UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5139, Best Before 11/19/2027 UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5140, Best Before 11/20/2027 The recalled products were sold between July 24 and August 11, 2025, at the following grocery stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New England, Ohio, South Caroline, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia: Bakers Gerbes Jay C Kroger Marianos Metro Market Pay Less Supermarkets Pick n Save Also on August 28, the FDA posted another radioactive shrimp recall notice for approximately 26,460 packages of Cocktail Shrimp 6oz manufactured by AquaStar (USA) Corp of Seattle, Washington, due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137. The product has the UPC code 19434612191 and the Lot Codes 10662 5106, 10662 5107, 10662 5124, and 10662 5125. This recalled product was sold between July 31 and August 16, 2025 at Walmart stores in Arkansas, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North dakaota, New England, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Fast Company reached out to Kroger and AquaStar for comment. One day later, the FDA posted yet another recall notice, this one for frozen shrimp produced by Southwind Foods, LLC of Carson, California, due to the possibility of exposure to Cs-137. This recalled shrimp was distributed to unnamed retailers, distributors, and wholesalers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington between July 17 – August 8, 2025. What should I do if I have the radioactive shrimp products? It should be noted that Cs-137 hasnt been confirmed to be present in all the recalled shrimp products above. Rather, the products are at risk of being contaminated with Cs-137. As of the time of this writing, there are no known illnesses attributed to any of the recalled shrimp products with the potential for Cs-137 contamination. The FDA says that if you have any of the recalled products, you should not consume them. Instead, you should dispose of the recalled shrimp products or return them to their place of purchase for a refund.
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E-Commerce
Suntory Holdings CEO Takeshi Niinami, one of Japan’s best-known business leaders, has resigned from the beverage group following a police investigation into his purchase of a supplement that may have breached the country’s strict drug laws. Niinami, who has served as an adviser to several Japanese prime ministers and was often the face of corporate Japan at Davos and other international events, told Suntory he purchased the supplement believing it was legal, the company said on Tuesday. The Tokyo Shimbun daily reported that police in Fukuoka prefecture are investigating whether supplements containing cannabis components had been sent to Niinami’s home a probe that is connected to a man who was arrested in July. Other Japanese media said the supplements allegedly contained THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, which is illegal in Japan. CBD, a separate chemical compound from the cannabis plant, however, is legal, and products containing it are available in Japan. Suntory, which makes whisky, beer and soft drinks such as Orangina-branded soda, said Niinami told the company he was the subject of a police investigation on August 22. He resigned on September 1. Reuters was not able to immediately reach Niinami for comment. Niinami, 66, significantly expanded Suntory’s revenue and profits, joining the drinks maker as president in 2014 shortly after it purchased U.S. spirits company Beam for $16 billion, including debt. “He was a bold, decisive leader who got things done and I truly respected him,” Suntory President Nobuhiro Torii told a press briefing. “In that respect and I told this to him yesterday as well it’s a real shame that we couldn’t continue as a team,” he said. Torii, a former banker and great-grandson of Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii, said he would now be fully helming the company. According to Tokyo Shimbun, police questioned Niinami and searched his Tokyo home, but no illegal drug possession or use has been confirmed. A Fukuoka Police official was not immediately available to comment on the reports. Niinami, a fluent English speaker, is chair of the powerful Keizai Doyukai business lobby. Known for being outspoken, he wasn’t hesitant to voice his opinion on how Japan’s economy should be managed or how the central bank should act. Keizai Doyukai officials were not immediately available for comment. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he was previously chief executive of convenience store operator Lawson before becoming Suntory’s president, the first head of the firm from outside its founding family. Japan has strict drug laws. Late last year, Japanese endoscope manufacturer Olympus Corp sacked then-CEO Stefan Kaufmann after an allegation that he had purchased illegal drugs. In 2015, police arrested Toyota Motor executive Julie Hamp, an American, on suspicion of illegally importing the painkiller oxycodone into the country. She was later released. Suntory is not publicly traded but shares in a listed unit, Suntory Beverage & Food, which manages its non-alcoholic beverages and food products business, were not overly affected, ending Tuesday up 3%. Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Kentaro Okasaka, Satoshi Sugiyama and Kathleen Benoza Anton Bridge and Mariko Katsumura, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Swiss food giant Nestlé said Monday it dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate.The maker of Nescafé drinks and Purina pet food said in a statement the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found the undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate violated Nestlé’s code of conduct.Freixe, who had been CEO for a year, will be replaced by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive.“This was a necessary decision,” said Chairman Paul Bulcke. “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company.”The company didn’t give any other details about the investigation.Freixe had been with Nestlé since 1986, holding roles around the world. When Nestlé revamped its geographic structure in January 2022, Freixe became CEO of Zone Latin America. In August 2024, he was tapped to replace then-CEO Mark Schneider in the top role, and started Sept. 1, 2024.Navratil started his career with Nestlé in 2001 as an internal auditor and served in a variety of roles in Central America. In 2020, he joined Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit, and in 2024, he became CEO of Nestlé’s Nespresso division.It’s the latest in a string of personnel changes for the company. In June, Bulcke, a former CEO who has been chairman of the board since 2017, said he wouldn’t stand for reelection in 2026. And in April, Steve Presley, an executive vice president and CEO of Zone Americas, said he was retiring after almost 30 years of service.Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé has been facing headwinds like other food makers, including rising commodity costs and the negative impact of tariffs. It said in July it offset higher coffee and cocoa-related costs with price increases. Associated Press
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