recent report

More than 20 percent of all import refusals were due to Salmonella. Of those, more than 40 percent were shrimp. Shrimp imports increased by 95 percent between 1995 and 2005, contributing to the growth in imports. Our new report, Import Alert: Government Fails Consumers, Falls Short on Seafood Inspection, looks at data from FDA import refusals of seafood shipments at the border and identifies trends in the data from 2003 to 2006. This report highlights issues related to imports of shrimp, the most popular seafood among U.S. consumers.

Shrimp is America’s favorite seafood – it’s topped the list for the last three years. But while we love to eat it, most people don’t know much about this popular dish, other than the many ways there are to cook it. Unlike the popular movie Forrest Gump, which portrays shrimpers on small boats making a living each day by bringing fresh shrimp to shore to sell to eager customers, most of the shrimp we eat in the United States comes from farms as far away as Thailand or Brazil. American shrimpers are a dying breed these days because they can’t compete with cheap, foreign imports.

Over 90% of the shrimp that American consumers eat are imported AND the much of it is farm-raised. Chances are, the delicious shrimp cocktail you’re splurging on is loaded with antibiotics and chemicals because that’s what goes into the cramped, dirty ponds made to mass-produce shrimp. Doesn’t sound yummy, does it?

Learn More

• Were you aware that most shrimp consumed in the U.S. is grown in man-made ponds along the coasts of Thailand, Vietnam, Ecuador, and other tropical countries? Find out more about these industrially produced shrimp in our report, Suspicious Shrimp.
  
  

Take Action

• Download this free restaurant card and take it to your favorite restaurant to let them know that you want healthy, local and sustainable seafood choices.
  
  

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