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The Economics of Everyday Things

111. Product Recalls

The Economics of Everyday Things

Freakonomics Network

Business

4.81.6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Every year, thousands of products are recalled from store shelves. How does the process work — and who foots the bill? Zachary Crockett gets a refund on his frozen shrimp.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, Zach here.

0:03.8

Just wanted to ask for a small favor.

0:06.0

We're running a little survey to learn more about who you are and what you'd like to hear more of on this show.

0:11.3

It's totally anonymous.

0:12.8

It takes less than a minute to complete, and it'll really help us out.

0:17.2

You can find it at freekonomics.com slash everyday survey.

0:22.9

That's frekeonomics.com slash everyday survey. That's Freakonomics.com slash everyday survey, all one word. Okay, on with the show.

0:31.6

This past summer, millions of Americans were warned about an unusual problem in the frozen food aisle.

0:43.3

If you bought frozen shrimp from Walmart recently, we have an important and, yes, a strange warning. The shrimp may be radioactive.

0:52.3

Aquastar issued the voluntary recall after traces of radioactive material were found in shrimp

0:58.0

from an Indonesian supplier.

1:00.0

Or shrimp are being recalled because of radioactive contamination.

1:03.0

Seattle-based Aquastar expanded the recall yesterday to cover more than 100,000 bags of frozen shrimp.

1:10.0

Radioactive shrimp even made it into a congressional hearing.

1:14.6

The shrimp was radioactive.

1:16.9

If you eat this stuff, I guarantee you'll grow an extra ear.

1:23.4

Those fears ended up being a little overblown.

1:27.4

It turned out that the amount of radioactive material in the shrimp

1:30.3

was far below the threshold of what would be considered harmful.

1:34.1

And there was no evidence that the affected shrimp was ever even sold in U.S. stores.

1:39.5

But the FDA still decided to issue a recall.

1:44.0

Multiple retailers pulled shrimp products from store shelves, just in case.

...

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