Sen. Kennedy demands improved inspection of foreign seafood

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy pushes for improved inspection of foreign seafood after frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores were recalled in multiple states due to potential radioactive contamination.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a third recall for imported shrimp. While on the U.S. Senate floor, Kennedy said the lack of inspection is “unconscionable” and should not be happening in America.

“If you eat it, how could you end up looking like the alien in ‘Alien’? Because the shrimp was radioactive. I kid you not,” Kennedy said. The recall cited possible contamination with a radioactive isotope.

He calls on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve its inspection of shrimp sold from other countries.

“And, yes, they are inspecting some of it, about 1 percent; on a good day, 2 percent. The United Kingdom inspects 50 percent of the farmed seafood coming into its nation. Even China does a better job than the United States of America. This is unconscionable. There is no excuse for it. There is no excuse for it,” Kennedy said.

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