(Image via Senator John Kennedy)
Social Media Manager: Samantha McCarthy
Email: smccarthy12@umassd.edu
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy stated on the United States Senate floor that eating foreign shrimp would result in consumers turning into the alien from the Alien movie franchise.
“This is what you could end up looking like if you eat some of the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries,” Kennedy said over the Senate Floor on Thursday, September 4th.
Kennedy’s comments stem from the recalls of frozen shrimp in late August due to traces of radioactive isotope cesium-137. However, the shrimp did not contain enough radioactivity to cause any acute or major health issues.
The FDA advised consumers to not eat or serve this product to prevent any long-term exposure, which might cause health issues.
“Even if it doesn’t turn you into the alien if you eat this stuff, I guarantee you’ll grow an extra ear,” he continued. Kennedy then raised further concerns of food inspection when importing from foreign countries and even claiming that foreign countries were shooting the shrimp with this radioactive isotope.
Kennedy continued to explain, including how he believes in “homegrown Louisiana shrimp, fresh out of the Gulf, not radioactive.”
The FDA reports that none of the imported shrimp had reached United States commerce before the isotope was detected. Recall processes were administered to assure safety in United States consumers, and there are no public reports of consumer sickness or harm due to this distribution of shrimp.
Kennedy took the clip of his presentation to X, where responses were mixed with criticism of fearmongering. Some agreed that the United States should take a home-grown initiative for food products.
X user @RichardAngwin responded to the video on Kennedy’s account, writing, “While you’re fearmongering about fictional alien shrimp to distract from your party’s failed trade policies, Senator Kennedy, Americans are still waiting for real solutions to skyrocketing grocery prices caused by corporate greed you enable.”
Some responses were even going as far as to saying these outrageous claims were being used as a cover up for President Donald Trump’s involvement with Jefferey Epstein and the delayed release of certain files.
“…what he won’t say is why he’ s keepin’ his beak shut while Trump’s Epstein cover-up stinks worse than a crawfish boil in August. You can’t hide a #pedoprotector racket behind a po’ boy, John boy,” user @TAFORU replied, with the following AI-generated image of Trump and Epstein cooking attached.
With such mixed responses to an otherwise strange Senate hearing, it truly begs the question of Kennedy’s true understanding of the situation and his presentation of information.
Kennedy has been a Louisiana Senator since 2017 and has made other remarks that were considered controversial or strange.
Following the mass shooting at the NFL headquarters in July, Kennedy claimed that rather than gun control legislation, the United States needs what he called “idiot control.” He later confirmed that he did not know how that would be possible.
Additionally, Kennedy urged those who were concerned about President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard at anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles to “pop a Zoloft,” a commonly used medication to treat depression and anxiety.
Despite Kennedy’s strange remarks that may cause concern with foreign food products, there is no concern to be had with shrimp products in particular. The amounts of cesium-137 did not reach the point of intervention of the FDA standards and can only cause harm if consumed in large amounts over a short period of time.