Tests Find Many Restaurants Pass Off Imported Shrimp as Gulf-Caught Shrimp | Louisiana

(The Center Square) – Next time you sit at your favorite seafood restaurant, ask your server where the shrimp comes from.

Given that over 90% of the shrimp consumed in the United States is now imported, the likelihood that your server can tell that these shrimp came directly from the Gulf of Mexico and were caught by local shrimp fishermen is quite slim.

However, many restaurants falsely advertise their shrimp at alarmingly misleading prices.

“If all restaurants were honest about saying their shrimp came from the Gulf, then the domestic shrimp industry would not be in its current state,” Erin William, chief operations officer of SeaD Consulting, told The Center Square.

SeaDs latest investigation highlights the extent of the deception.

Of 44 restaurants surveyed in Biloxi, Mississippi, 82% were found to misrepresent their shrimp. Specifically, 39% of the white shrimp served was imported from the Gulf, despite being marketed as local.

With Royal Red Shrimp, the problem was even more serious: 92% of restaurants that claimed to serve FDA-protected Gulf Royal Red were instead serving inferior Argentine shrimp.

Only eight establishments in Biloxi truthfully advertised their menu items.

SeaD has tested hundreds of restaurants in the Gulf States since developing its rapid genetic test in collaboration with Florida State University.

The financial impact on consumers is significant. Fraudulent shrimp dishes often cost up to $24.95 per plate, with diners unknowingly paying higher prices for fake items.

On average, customers spent $16.72 for each mislabeled dish, with additional costs for tips, transportation and parking adding to the financial burden.

The mislabeling needs serious attention, and it’s starting to get it.

Aside from violating the law, mislabeling imported shrimp as Gulf shrimp undermines the domestic market.

Unless a Louisiana restaurant’s menu specifically states that the shrimp is imported, the law assumes it was caught in the Gulf. If a restaurant advertises even though SeaD’s genetic testing shows otherwise, those establishments are in violation of federal regulations.

Such fraud not only deceives customers, but also reduces the value of real Gulf shrimp, which should command a higher price.

“Shrimp fishermen cannot serve the entire U.S. market,” Williams said. “So it should be a premium product and they should get a premium price.”

But when restaurants falsely label imported shrimp as caught in the Gulf, it undermines the market for true local shrimp. Customers are misled into believing they are supporting domestic industries and paying for a better product, when in reality they are consuming cheaper, lower quality imports.

This deception reduces the perceived value of Gulf shrimp and makes it even more difficult for shrimpers to justify the higher costs associated with a sustainable, local fishery.

“If customers don’t know the difference or think they’re already buying Gulf shrimp, there’s no incentive for restaurants or retailers to pay a fair price for the real shrimp,” Williams said.

Over time, this not only hurts shrimp fishermen, but also weakens the entire supply chain, from gas stations to grocery stores, as demand for true Gulf shrimp disappears.

The deception is present in every part of the supply chain – producers, manufacturers and retailers alike.

According to SeaD, many importers from India, Ecuador and China pump their shrimp with water and other chemicals.

So while we put American fishermen out of business and help support Slave labor Abroad, the low-quality shrimp may be on your plate doused with chemicals that are illegal in the United States. A three for one special.

The impact has rippled across the entire domestic supply chain.

“It affects the consumer, the retailer, ice cream factories, grocery stores, gas stations, net manufacturers — everyone,” Williams said, adding that the net manufacturing industry is “obsolete.”

“These are our friends and our community, and they mean a lot to us.”