Shrimp, Spices from Indonesia Require New Certification

Effective October 31, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require a new import certification for shrimp and spices from some regions of Indonesia. The new certification requirement comes from a risk of potential contamination of food with Cesium-137. This represents the first use of this Congressional authority to address ongoing food safety problems while keeping trade flowing for safe products.

The FDA is taking this action to require import certification after U.S. Customs and Border Protection detected high levels of Cesium-137 in multiple shipments of shrimp and in a sample of cloves from certain regions of Indonesia, and the FDA’s laboratory confirmed contamination in food samples, in addition to other evidence and information reviewed by the FDA.

Import Alert 99-52: Detention Without Physical Examination of Certain Human Food Products From Certain Regions In Indonesia Subject To The Requirement of Import Certification Per Section 801(q) requires certification for:

• Shrimp from the Island of Java and Lampung Province on the Island of Sumatra in Indonesia
• Spices from the Island of Java and Lampung Province on the Island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

References

Import Certification | FDA

FDA Response to Imported Foods Potentially Contaminated with Cesium-137 | FDA

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