Domino Effect Findings Of Cesium-137 Contamination In Shrimp From Indonesia

JAKARTA - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found contamination of radioactivecesium in three bags of shrimp products from Indonesia. This finding not only raises public concerns regarding food safety.

Findings originated from frozen shrimp from Indonesia exported to the US contaminated with Cesium-137 (Cs-137) radioactive substances. On August 14, AFD included Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS) Foods in the "red list" of import warnings. This means that they prohibit all shrimp products from entering the US until this problem is resolved.

About a month later, the agency did the same with Natural Java Spice, the company responsible for contaminated cloves.

This is of course an alarm for Indonesia. Not only about food security and technology management in industrial areas, to the threat of termination of employment (PHK).

When news about the radioactive exposure of Cs-137 was found in shrimp exported to the US, the Indonesian government immediately moved quickly to investigate.

The Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) later confirmed the findings of contamination of Cs-137 radioactive matter in the modern industrial area of Cikande, Serang Regency, Banten. The contamination is thought to have originated from the iron smelting process at PT Metal Technology (PMT) which has stopped operating since July 2025.

Citing Consumer Reports, Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission, usually used in medical devices or calibration of radiation detection equipment such as a Geiger counter.

Cesium-137 is also a by-product of the process used in nuclear weapons testing, nuclear reactor operation, and nuclear crashes.

It took decades for Cs-137 to decompose in the environment, but the body processed it much faster. Swallowed cesium is usually absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines. In adults, about 10 percent Cs-137 is swallowed out of the body in a matter of days.

However, the content of Cs-137 found in shrimp exported to the US is still within safe limits. The activity concentration found in the shrimp sample tested by the FDA is 68becquerelper kilograms, well below the FDA intervention limit for Cs-137 contamination, namely 1,200becquerelper kg.

This means that technically the cesium level is still far from a dangerous level. But because there are precautionary principles, the FDA still asks for the product to be withdrawn from the market. In the six weeks since the discovery of Cs-137 content, tens of thousands of kilograms of shrimp frozen, raw, and cooked, have been withdrawn from supermarket shelves throughout the US.

Bahari Makmur Sejati or BMS, which is on the red list, may not be well known among consumers. But from January to July, it was this company that supplied about a third of shrimp to the US from Indonesia, according to the trading analysis data firm, ImportGenius.

Cs-137's findings in shrimp imported into the US not only raise concerns regarding food safety, but also the future of workers in the industry. Not to mention the possibility of Uncle Sam's country turning to a competing country for Indonesia to get shrimp with better safety.

Chairman of the Shrimp Club Indonesia (SCI) Andi Tamsil revealed that this case made the shrimp industry players restless, from farmers to exporters. From the cases experienced by BMS Cikande, there were around 4,000 workers who were affected or laid off. This figure could increase to 20,000 workers, which includes farmers, mill storage and feed, to exporters who are threatened with losing their livelihoods if we calculate the ecosystem from upstream to downstream.

Apart from Cikande, companies in the shrimp management sector are also available in Medan, Surabaya, and Banyuwangi. If the government does not seriously follow up on FDA regulations, then there is the potential for one million workers to lose their jobs.

In addition to the threat of potential layoffs in the shrimp management sector, Andi is also worried about the decline in the contribution from this sector to the national economy. Andi said the export value of Indonesian shrimp to a number of countries is around 1.7 billion AR dollars per year.

Shrimp is Indonesia's mainstay export commodity in the fisheries sector. In 2024, the export value of Indonesian shrimp is 1.68 billion US dollars with a volume of 21.458 million tons.

As much as 90 percent of the shrimp market is exported. The US is Indonesia's largest shrimp export market at around 63.7 percent. If the FDA imposes a ban on entry to our shrimp products, it will be a big loss for us. Foreign exchange will fall far away or export value will fall," Andi said, quoting Kompas.

In addition, the findings of the Cs-137 contamination found in the Cikande Modern Industrial Estate have a domino effect. Because of this case, the shrimp sector industrial areas in Medan, Surabaya, and Banyuwangi are also considered contaminated.

To note, starting October 31, the FDA has set a radioactive free certificate rule for Indonesian fishery export products. This certificate will serve as additional evidence to ensure food safety in the global market while strengthening Indonesia's position as the world's main shrimp exporter.

Darin Detwiler, a professor at Northeastern University who has researched the implementation of the FDA's food safety policy, called this a good effort to stop the loss of trust. But he also warned that this effort could disrupt the trade balance between the US and Indonesia by creating unnecessary barriers to exporters who were not affected by the contamination.

For the Indonesian government, negotiations or diplomatic approaches to the US to explain the case of Cs-137 radioactive cases need to be carried out so that Indonesia can get out of the red list.

Because if the Indonesian government fails to negotiate, it will not only lose the US market, but also other countries such as Japan and China. They are feared to switch to competing countries such as Ecuador, India, and Vietnam.