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Over the past two decades, Americans have been eating more seafood than ever. Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States. In 2005, Americans ate an average of 4.1 pounds of shrimp per person, up from 2.5 pounds in 1995.²

The United States increasingly relies on imports –– more than 80 percent –– to satisfy consumers’ appetites for cheap shrimp.² Shrimp imports have increased by 95 percent in the past 10 years.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that industrial shrimp production accounts for approximately 40 percent of shrimp worldwide.³ In 2006, the United States imported 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp, of which Thailand produced more than 30 percent. Four of the five leading shrimp exporters to the United States are from Asia, the aquaculture epicenter.² While the U.S. government does not track whether seafood imports are wild–caught or farm–raised, it is reasonable to conclude that industrially farmed shrimp makes up a growing proportion of U.S. shrimp imports.

Unfortunately, consumers don’t know if their shrimp is domestic or imported. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed mandatory country of origin labeling rules, which was intended to inform consumers about where seafood comes from and if it is farm–raised or wild–caught.  However, the USDA did not create a strong program. “Processed” sea-food is exempt, leaving more than 50 percent of seafood sold in the United States without labels; 90 percent of fish sellers, such as wholesale markets and restaurants, are exempt; no enforcement mechanism exists and violators face paltry fines.

Americans are largely unaware of the health concerns associated with imported aquaculture products. The crowded, unsanitary conditions on these industrial shrimp farms breed bacteria, viruses, and parasites, forcing producers to use antibiotics and chemicals illegal in the United States to prevent disease outbreaks. Residues of these chemicals then end up in the shrimp where they can harm the consumers who eat it. Furthermore, transport of seafood imports over long distances presents opportunities for contamination and decomposition due to improper handling and refrigeration.
 
The U.S. government’s Food and Drug Administration has a mandate to oversee the safety of seafood imports by inspecting shipments at the border. In reality, lack of money meant that FDA physically inspected less than two percent of all import shipments in 2006, and laboratory tested only 0.59 percent – not enough to ensure the safety of America’s seafood. Analysis of the seafood shipments FDA refused between 2003 and 2006 found many troubling trends in imported shrimp.

Troubling Trends in Shrimp Imports

Filth was the leading reason that seafood imports were refused. From 2003 to 2006, shrimp accounted for between 26 percent and 35 percent of all filth refusals, even though only 22 percent to 24 percent of all imports were shrimp.

Salmonella is disproportionately concentrated in shrimp. Refusals for Salmonella are most prevalent in shrimp imports.  Shrimp imports constituted between 22 percent and 24 percent of the weight of all U.S. seafood imports between 2003 and 2006.  However,  shrimp was responsible for more than double that percentage of all Salmonella refusals, ranging from a high of 56.1 percent in 2005 to a low of 42.9 percent in 2006.

Approximately 60 percent of the Salmonella refusals of shrimp were processed shrimp, products that are not subject to country of origin labeling.  As a result, Americans purchase these products without knowledge of whether or not they were imported. Salmonella contamination is particularly troublesome with Ready-to-Eat shrimp products, which consumers do not cook before eating.

Heavy Use of Antibiotics and Chemicals in Shrimp

Industrial shrimp producers use antibiotics and chemicals during production to prevent disease and parasites. Nitrofurans and chloramphenicol are substances widely used in shrimp production. In 2004 and 2006, about 20 percent of all drug refusals were for shrimp imports. However, in 2003 and 2005, shrimp were responsible for 84 percent and 65 percent of all refusals for drug residues, respectively.  Since refusals of drug residues fluctuate widely, a consistent and thorough inspection program is necessary.

These troubling trends in shrimp imports are a serious concern for American consumers, given that they eat shrimp more than any other seafood. FDA must increase physical inspection of imported seafood. Congress must appropriate the money to make this happen, and USDA must expand country of origin labeling to include processed seafood products so consumers are aware of where their seafood originates.  Together, these measures would better ensure the safety of America’s seafood.

What can you do?

• Choose wild-caught, sustainably produced, domestic shrimp over imported shrimp. Consumers should ask grocery stores and restaurants where their shrimp comes from and how it was produced.
• Tell FDA to increase inspection of imported shrimp.
• Ask Congress to increase funding and oversight for FDA’s seafood import inspection program.
• Tell USDA to expand country of origin labeling so that it includes processed seafood and expands to every store and restaurant.