Sen John Kennedy brought sci-fi theatrics to Capitol Hill this week, holding up a still from the 1979 horror classic Alien to warn that Americans risk growing “an extra ear”, or worse, if they eat imported shrimp from Indonesia, the Daily Beast reported.
The Louisiana Republican, a close Trump ally, claimed during a Senate hearing that seafood sold under Walmart’s Great Value label was tainted with cesium-137, a radioactive isotope linked to contaminated shipping containers. “Shrimp from other countries, which don’t abide by the same rules that we abide by in America,” Kennedy said, “if you eat it, it may turn you into the Alien.”
Shrimp recall and FDA response
Walmart has recalled certain shrimp products across 13 states following Food and Drug Administration warnings about possible contamination. Consumers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia were told to discard affected items.
Still, the FDA insisted there’s no evidence any radioactive product reached the marketplace, “At this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for cesium-137 has entered the US marketplace.”
Kennedy vs regulators
Kennedy blamed what he called “unconscionable” lax inspections by US agencies. He accused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of checking only “one percent, on a good day, two percent” of seafood imports, far below inspection rates in the UK and China.
Political theatrics
The senator’s outburst has quickly become the latest flashpoint in the Make America Healthy Again agenda, embraced by MAGA Republicans railing against “Big Pharma” and food regulations. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped into the fray online, comparing radioactive shrimp to bans on raw milk. “Bad food makes you sick and dependent on Big Pharma,” she posted, “and good natural food like raw milk makes you well and healthy.”
For now, the Alien monster may be the stuff of sci-fi, but Kennedy’s radioactive shrimp warning is very real political theater.
The Louisiana Republican, a close Trump ally, claimed during a Senate hearing that seafood sold under Walmart’s Great Value label was tainted with cesium-137, a radioactive isotope linked to contaminated shipping containers. “Shrimp from other countries, which don’t abide by the same rules that we abide by in America,” Kennedy said, “if you eat it, it may turn you into the Alien.”
If you eat some of the radioactive frozen shrimp that foreign countries are sending to America, you may end up looking like this picture from the movie, “Alien!” pic.twitter.com/cdzWUF3G3v
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) September 3, 2025
Shrimp recall and FDA response
Walmart has recalled certain shrimp products across 13 states following Food and Drug Administration warnings about possible contamination. Consumers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia were told to discard affected items.
Still, the FDA insisted there’s no evidence any radioactive product reached the marketplace, “At this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for cesium-137 has entered the US marketplace.”
Kennedy vs regulators
Kennedy blamed what he called “unconscionable” lax inspections by US agencies. He accused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of checking only “one percent, on a good day, two percent” of seafood imports, far below inspection rates in the UK and China.
Political theatrics
The senator’s outburst has quickly become the latest flashpoint in the Make America Healthy Again agenda, embraced by MAGA Republicans railing against “Big Pharma” and food regulations. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped into the fray online, comparing radioactive shrimp to bans on raw milk. “Bad food makes you sick and dependent on Big Pharma,” she posted, “and good natural food like raw milk makes you well and healthy.”
For now, the Alien monster may be the stuff of sci-fi, but Kennedy’s radioactive shrimp warning is very real political theater.
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