We Need a Federal Food Administration!
Congress Should Pass the Federal Food Administration Act this Term (or Likely Next): Radioactive Cesium-137 Must Be Part of the U.S. Agenda
Americans are being told to eat healthier. We have a new food pyramid, new dietary guidelines, and a national conversation about the relationship between food and health. But there is a question that seems to be missing from much of this discussion: How can consumers make healthy food choices when they don't have adequate information about what is in their food?
The recent cesium-137 contamination involving imported Indonesian shrimp and spices is a good example. It exposed weaknesses in the way the federal government detects, investigates, and communicates food-safety problems. It also raises questions about how prepared we are for the next incident involving radioactive contamination.
Concerned parents, caregivers and our communities have been raising these concerns for years through the Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network (FFAN). In September 2024, I wrote in Food Safety News that Congress should pass the Federal Food Administration Act. Today, that need is even more urgent than ever.
The Federal Food Administration Act of 2025 was introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (which Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro previously introduced in the House of Representatives) offers Congress an opportunity to establish a single agency with one clear mission: keeping Americans' food safe. That mission must absolutely include radioactive contamination. It cannot be treated as an afterthought.
A New Food Pyramid While Shrimp Recalls Were Still Underway
On January 7th, 2026, the administration introduced the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and unveiled a new, inverted food pyramid. And, for the first time in the history of the food pyramid, shrimp was pictured!
Yet the timing was stunning. The Indonesian shrimp recalls that began in August 2025 were still underway. They did not end until February 2026.
Then, on January 16th, near the end of the recalls, ABC News reported on a Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warning that cesium-137 contamination in Indonesian imports was "very likely" to continue for the foreseeable future (Consumer Reports also stated that cesium-137 had likely blanketed a swath of that country due to a metal recycling incident). The warning also raised the possibility that contamination could extend beyond shrimp to spices and other imported goods, including sneakers.
Think about that for a moment. The FDA and USDA were promoting shrimp as part of its new dietary guidance while recalls involving possible radioactive contamination were still continuing, and DHS was warning that additional contamination was very likely. The guidelines stated it was good for pregnant women to consume up to 12 oz per week (3 - 4 servings). That’s far too much risk for developing fetuses in the midst of radioactive shrimp recalls in 35 states.
This is exactly why food safety and nutrition cannot be separated. Telling Americans what they should eat is one thing. Making sure the food supply is safe is another. We need both.
The MAHA movement has brought much-needed attention to food quality, nutrition, and chronic illness but honestly, Eat Real Food has been a thing for many years. But a healthier food supply requires more than changing dietary recommendations and telling us what our parents and grandparents advised. It requires knowing what is in our food, testing for contaminants, making the results public, and taking action when problems are found. This problem is a big one, not low hanging fruit such as, say, food colorings and dyes.
FFAN wrote to RFK Jr as Secretary of HHS and MAHA leaders in March & May of 2025 about cesium-137 (ionizing radiation) in food but our letters both FedEx'd and hand-delivered on Capitol Hill were ignored by the MAHA Commission Report, the first of which was released in May of 2025, the second in September 2025 (the latter while the radioactive shrimp recalls were still underway). This was somewhat surprising because RFK Jr. had made a historic and solemn promise at his swearing-in ceremony as HHS Secretary to seek and find the causes of devastating childhood cancers.
The Indonesian Shrimp (and Clove) Recalls Raise Serious Questions
In August 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the Food and Drug Administration to cesium-137 detections involving shipping containers at several U.S. ports. The FDA subsequently confirmed Cs-137 in a sample of imported Indonesian shrimp associated with PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, also known as BMS Foods. The agency also confirmed Cs-137 in a sample of cloves associated with PT Natural Java Spice.
The FDA reported approximately 68.48 becquerels per kilogram in the shrimp sample and 732.43 becquerels per kilogram in the cloves sample. Both results were far below the FDA's derived intervention level of 1,200 becquerels per kilogram the FDA now allows. FDA backed the 68 Bq/kg by stating that it was a concern if people were also being exposed to cesium-137 from other sources too. Wow.
The FDA recommended recalls of related shrimp products because they may have been prepared, packed, or held under conditions that could have exposed them to contamination. The recalls of course did not establish that every product involved was contaminated. They did, however, demonstrate how difficult it can be to determine the full scope of a contamination problem once products have entered a complex distribution system.
Some of the shrimp products later included in the Cs-137 recalls had been sold to consumers as early as June 2025. Why were these products not recalled sooner, and what did FDA know about their safety before the contamination was publicly identified in August?
The FDA placed the implicated firms on Import Alert 99-51 and later established additional import-certification requirements for certain shrimp and spices from designated Indonesian regions. Those requirements took effect October 31, 2025.
There is a larger issue here. How does the government determine the extent of contamination when only some products or samples have been tested? How does it establish whether related products are safe? How does it trace those products through the supply chain? And how does it communicate what it knows—and what it does not know—to consumers?
These are not unreasonable questions. They are basic questions that consumers should be able to expect federal agencies to answer.
In October 2026, the FDA reported on its assessment of Indonesia's import-certification program and the laboratories involved. That assessment is useful, but it should not be mistaken for proof that the original environmental source of contamination has been identified or that the broader problem has been resolved.
One of the problems with how radioactive contamination is discussed is that attention often focuses on the original source or the shipment in which a contaminant is detected. But radioactive materials move through the environment and into the food chain. The Environmental Protection Agency explains that cesium can move through air, dissolve in water, bind strongly to soil and concrete, and be taken up by plants growing in contaminated soil.
Research since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has documented the movement of radiocesium through vegetation, soil, water, and agricultural systems. The extent of transfer from soil to plants varies, depending on soil conditions, plant species, and other factors. That is precisely why testing and scientific assessment matter.
The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 demonstrates the long-term consequences of radioactive contamination in the environment and food supply. Fukushima provided another devastating example of how radionuclides can move through environmental pathways and affect food production, and TEPCO and the Japanese government are in their 3rd year of systematically dumping partially filtered radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean (tritium is not being filtered at all).
This is not just a Japanese problem or a problem associated with imported foods from Indonesia. Radioactive contamination can result from nuclear accidents and other releases. It can affect the environment in which food is grown, raised, harvested, and produced.
FFAN has been concerned about this issue since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster began in March 2011. In 2013, the FFAN Coalition filed a Citizen Petition with the FDA concerning cesium-137 in food. The petition has received approximately 1,600 comments, including comments from scientists with relevant expertise. Thirteen years is a long time to wait for resolution on a petition, but it's well-known that the agency can move at a snail's pace.
The central question remains: What is the FDA doing to protect consumers from radioactive contamination in food, and where is the public information that would allow us to evaluate its work?
FDA's derived intervention level for cesium-137 is 1,200 becquerels per kilogram. That is among the highest levels in the world. Food standards in Japan are considerably more protective, particularly for children (100 Bq/kg for adults, 50 for kids). Yet American consumers have little information about how frequently foods are tested, what radionuclides are included in testing, or what the results show.
Executive Order 14300: Why Food Safety Oversight Matters More Than Ever
There is yet another development that makes this issue particularly urgent.
On May 27, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14300, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The order directs a sweeping review and revision of NRC regulations and guidance. Section 5 specifically directs the NRC to reconsider its reliance on the linear no-threshold model of radiation exposure and the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) standard.
The NRC has since proposed major changes to its radiation-protection framework. Among the issues being considered are the removal of ALARA language from its regulations and a different approach to managing radiation exposure below regulatory limits.
The NRC's proposal states that existing public and occupational dose limits would remain. But the proposed changes represent a significant reconsideration of longstanding radiation-protection principles, and they deserve careful public scrutiny.
Why does this matter to food safety? Because radioactive material released into the environment does not remain confined to a nuclear facility or at the fence line. It moves through air, water, soil, vegetation, and agricultural systems. It can enter food and contribute to human exposure through ingestion.
The NRC regulates nuclear facilities. The FDA has responsibility for food safety. Those are different missions, but the consequences of radioactive releases can cross both jurisdictions. If the federal government is reconsidering how radiation exposure is regulated, it is even more important to have an independent and effective food-safety system capable of detecting radioactive contamination and evaluating what it means for consumers.
We should not just assume that changes in nuclear regulation will automatically protect people from exposure through food ~ in fact it's the exact opposite. Nor should consumers be left without adequate information about radioactive contaminants in the foods we eat.
The United States needs a food-safety agency with the scientific expertise, laboratory resources, and authority to address these concerns. One that is not focused on brain/neural chips and vaping.
The Federal Food Administration Act Is a Necessary Step
Senator Dick Durbin introduced the Federal Food Administration Act of 2025, S. 3422, on December 10, 2025. Senator Richard Blumenthal is a cosponsor. Representative Rosa DeLauro introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 6567.
The legislation would establish a Federal Food Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services and transfer food-related responsibilities currently spread across federal agencies into a more unified structure.
The problem with our current system is not a lack of agencies. It is fragmentation. Food-safety responsibilities are divided among multiple federal departments and programs, with different authorities, priorities, and resources. This makes coordination difficult and leaves consumers trying to understand which agency is responsible when something goes wrong.
We need a single agency whose primary responsibility is food safety. The proposed Federal Food Administration would have a Commissioner of Foods, scientific review groups, and a structure for coordinating with other agencies. It would establish risk-based inspection requirements, including more frequent inspections of high-risk facilities and infant-formula manufacturers.
These are important steps. But Congress must also ensure that the new agency has the capacity to address radioactive contamination in food. To be clear, S. 3422 does not specifically establish a nationwide radionuclide-monitoring program. That is something Congress should address as the bill moves forward and FFAN is helping to educate lawmakers. The new agency should have clear responsibility for assessing radioactive contaminants, including Cs-134 and Cs-137, and should be equipped to coordinate testing, laboratory analysis, and public reporting.
We already have federal resources, including FDA's Total Diet Study, the Food Emergency Response Network, and the Winchester Engineering and Analytical Center. But having programs and laboratories is not the same as having a comprehensive, transparent surveillance system. A Federal Food Administration should bring these resources together, identify gaps, and make the information available to the public.
Consumers Deserve Better
The Indonesian shrimp and spice incident should be a wake-up call. It demonstrated that radioactive contamination is not simply a historical concern associated with Chernobyl or Fukushima. It is a present-day food-safety issue.
The DHS warning that further contamination was very likely to continue should have prompted a serious discussion about the government's ability to monitor imported foods and communicate potential risks. The new food pyramid, introduced while shrimp recalls were still underway, illustrates why nutrition policy must be coordinated with food-safety information. And Executive Order 14300 makes it all the more important that food safety not be overlooked as the federal government changes its approach to radiation protection.
The MAHA agenda should include this issue but instead appears to be bending over backwards to avoid it. Could it be a conflict with President Trump's 4 executive orders to expand and deregulate the nuclear industry, as in a wholesale overhaul of regulations to save the nuclear industry time and money. Many people believe it's likely. But if we are truly serious about improving the health of Americans, we must be serious about the safety of the food they eat.
Congress has the opportunity to address a longstanding problem. The Federal Food Administration Act should not become another proposal that receives attention and then goes nowhere. We need a single agency that can focus like a laser beam on food safety, supported by independent scientists and experts who understand the environmental and health effects of contaminants, including radionuclides.
Consumers deserve transparency. Parents deserve to know what is in the food they feed their children. And the public deserves a federal food-safety system that is prepared to identify and respond to emerging threats—not one that waits until the next recall to discover what it should have been monitoring all along.
Congress should pass the Federal Food Administration Act if not in 2025, then a new version in 2026, to help ensure that cesium-137 radioactive contamination is part of its food-safety mission.
FFAN has been meeting with Congress about the legislation since I wrote the Food Safety News op-ed in 2024, and as recently as yesterday. Keep in mind that if the Democrats take back the majority in the House AND Senate, there will be a far better chance of the FFA replacing the FDA.
FFAN will keep you posted. And don't forget to vote!
Kimberly Roberson
Director, Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network (FFAN)
A project of the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy Member, the Stop Radioactive Pollution Coalition