FDA Keeps Cesium-137 Checks on Indonesian Shrimp, Spices

On October 5, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an in-country assessment report on Indonesia's Cesium-137 import certification program for shrimp and spices. FDA found that both Indonesian certifying entities "are substantially meeting the responsibilities of their respective CE designation letters," identified one correction needed at each, and said it "will maintain MFQAA and BPOM as the Certifying Entities for shrimp and spice products, respectively."

The two corrections concern how Indonesia's seafood regulator composited samples across containers and how long its food and drug authority scanned spice pallets. The three servicing laboratories met requirements "with no deficiencies identified." The report does not say whether either correction has since been completed.

Key takeaways

• On October 5, 2026, the FDA released its assessment finding that Indonesia's MFQAA (shrimp) and BPOM (spices) are substantially meeting their certifying-entity responsibilities; both stay in place.
• FDA identified one correction per agency: MFQAA was compositing samples across containers inconsistently with Appendix 1, and BPOM was scanning pallets for 10 minutes instead of the required minimum of 12.
• All three servicing laboratories (BRIN, BAPETEN and BUSPM) met requirements with no deficiencies identified.
• This program marks the FDA's first application of Section 801(q) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, enacted under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
• The report names no retail brands, and FDA has not told consumers to avoid Indonesian shrimp or spices.

What happened

On October 5, 2026, the FDA published a constituent update alongside the report, In-Country Assessment Report: Certifying Entity Implementation of the Cesium-137 Import Certification for Shrimp & Spice Products from Indonesia. The assessment was conducted May 4-8, 2026, with onsite evaluations in Banten, West Java and East Java, Indonesia.

The agency evaluated the performance of two primary government certifying entities established by the Indonesian government. Indonesia's Marine and Fisheries Quality Assurance Agency (MFQAA) certifies shrimp, and Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) certifies spices. FDA carried out onsite evaluations at six shrimp processing establishments and five spice processing establishments.

FDA also visited three servicing laboratories (BRIN, BAPETEN and BUSPM) and reviewed all records for 10 issued certificates per agency, selected by FDA. Each certifying entity must give "shipment-specific assurances that covered products are free of Cs-137 contamination prior to export to the United States." FDA concluded that both MFQAA and BPOM "are substantially meeting the responsibilities of their respective CE designation letters."

What changed

Both certifiers keep their status, but the report lists one correction for each, plus a set of program improvement opportunities.

For shrimp, the report states that "MFQAA was compositing samples across multiple containers in a manner inconsistent with the sampling requirements of Appendix 1." The report summary does not describe how MFQAA has changed its procedure.

For spices, the report states that "BPOM was scanning pallets for 10 minutes (2.5 minutes per side), falling short of the required minimum of 12 minutes (3 minutes per side)."

FDA also "identified four program improvement opportunities for MFQAA and nine for BPOM," covering certificate management, scanning documentation, calibration and instrument quality control, sample result reporting and laboratory result tracking. Examples from the report:

• Draft MFQAA certificates submitted by importers "appeared to be final, with signature."
• BPOM certificates "frequently referenced laboratory results for different shipments."
• Two BPOM certificates (157155 and 157858) appeared to correspond to the same lot.
• Lot codes on several BPOM certificates did not match BRIN laboratory reports.

By contrast, all three servicing laboratories met requirements "with no deficiencies identified."

Who is affected

The certification requirement matters most to importers and to Indonesian processors and exporters. According to FDA, it applies to "shrimp from the Island of Java and province of Lampung on the Island of Sumatra; and all spices from the Island of Java and province of Lampung on the Island of Sumatra."

The report names no retail brands, and FDA has not reported any illnesses linked to Cs-137 in food. FDA has not disclosed how many certificates or shipments have been issued under the program in total.

What it means for shoppers

FDA's assessment is about how well the certification checks work before export. It gives shoppers no advice to avoid Indonesian shrimp or spices, and it does not name any products on store shelves.

From a practical label-reading standpoint, shoppers cannot determine whether a grocery item was cleared under this specific certification framework:

• Ingredient lists name foods such as "shrimp" or "cloves"; they do not name regions such as Java or Lampung.
• Import certificates and laboratory results are not printed on retail packaging.

For other recent import enforcement, see FDA Warns Seafood Importer Over Botulism Controls and a Cat and Colombian Snack Chips With Pork Cracklings Recalled Again.

The background

According to the report, "In early August 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive contaminant, in shrimp imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati and subsequently in cloves imported from PT Natural Java Spice, both based in Indonesia." FDA has not disclosed the source of the contamination.

According to the FDA Releases In-Country Assessment Report on Cesium-137 Import Certification Program for Indonesian Shrimp and Spices constituent update, "The primary health effect of concern following longer term, repeated low dose exposure to Cs-137 (e.g., through consumption of contaminated food or water over time) is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body."

FDA's response page puts the detained shrimp shipment at "approximately 68 Bq/kg, which is below FDA's Derived Intervention Level for Cs-137 of 1200 Bq/kg," and a cloves sample at 732.43 Bq/kg. FDA says that shrimp shipment "did not enter U.S. commerce."

FDA issued Import Alert 99-52 on October 3, 2025 and, effective October 31, 2025, began requiring import certification under section 801(q) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 381(q)). The constituent update says this "marked the FDA's first use of this authority, which Congress provided through the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act." MFQAA's shrimp certification took effect October 31, 2025, and BPOM's spice certification took effect November 3, 2025.

What to watch next

FDA says it "will continue to monitor" the program. Background on the import certification requirement is on FDA's page FDA Response to Imported Foods Potentially Contaminated with Cesium-137.

Significant uncertainties remain regarding the available evidence. FDA's documents do not identify the source of the Cesium-137 contamination in Indonesia. FDA also has not disclosed how many shipments have been certified under the program, whether any certified shipment has since tested positive for Cs-137, or whether or when Import Alert 99-52 will be lifted.