Human Food Products That Appear To Have Been Prepared, Packed Or Held Under Insanitary Conditions Resulting in Chemical Contamination

Why FDA issued it

The FDA oversees the safety of the U.S. food supply (domestic and imports) by monitoring for chemical contaminants in food and assessing the potential exposure and safety concerns posed by these chemicals. For example, radionuclides such as Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioisotope of cesium, can be present in many places around the world as a result of contamination produced high in the atmosphere during nuclear testing. Cs-137 is created via nuclear reactions, such as occurring in nuclear power plants and is also commonly used in medical and other industrial applications. Elevated amounts of Cs-137 can be present at locations where contamination settled from accidents such as Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011. Cs-137 emits beta particles and gamma radiation that are associated with adverse health effects. Potential for health concerns following Cs-137 exposure depends on the dose and t

Quoted from the “Reason for Alert” section of the FDA page for 99-51, mirrored 30 August 2026. The quotation is truncated at the length this copy carries.