I found the quote “Friends don’t let friends buy imported shrimp.” on page 30 of the book “Cooking in the Moment – A Year of Seasonal Recipes” by Andrea Reusing. Those words should be an inspiration to us all!
I adore shrimp! I wish I could eat shrimp more often! But US wild-caught shrimp is expensive, so it should be savored and cherished as a special treat!
I have long refused to buy imported shrimp but it looks like I’m in the minority. Shrimp is the most consumed seafood in the US, but since 80-90% of shrimp is imported from Asia and Mexico, it looks like consumers are either not aware of the dangers or just don’t care.
I always knew there were big health and environmental risks with imported (wild and farmed) seafood, but I just read an older article on the subject and it really hit home.
quote from the article:
Properly run shrimp farms yield up to 445 pounds per acre. Food & Water Watch, which has long studied aquaculture, has documented that many foreign shrimp farm operators densely pack their ponds to produce as much as 89,000 pounds of shrimp per acre.
Oh my Lord, can you imagine the pollution, bacteria and illness this causes?
And then the article goes on to state that less than 2% of imported seafood is actually checked and/or analyzed. And what IS checked has been found to be hazardous to our health.
Consumers blindly trust that if it’s allowed to come into our country, then it must be safe. Consumers expect our government to constantly check and re-check products, whether imported or native, but it’s been proven time and time again that it’s not being done!
When will we wake up!? I am doubtful we will.
It’s the American way to demand lower prices, but look what’s happened to the quality of our food! We need to demand better quality food, but not expect to pay rock bottom prices. We need to start paying a little more, and appreciate the quality of the product!
So, please FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS EAT IMPORTED SHRIMP! Support US wild caught shrimp!