The Pacific White Leg Shrimp is native to Latin America. Over 1.2 billion pounds of shrimp are imported into the United States each year. In comparison, the United States only produces about 4 million pounds annually for consumption.

 

Of our imports, over 90% of that comes from China, Indonesia, and Thailand. A few others include Mexico, Vietnam, and India. China makes up 2% of the input and Thailand alone makes up 33% of the imports. Over 80% of Thailand’s shrimp are “Farm Raised”. These are not the same farm raised animals we see in the United States.

 

Being aware of what we consume is very important. The shrimp that you find at the grocery store is most likely imported from one of these foreign countries. Only 2% of imported shrimp is inspected by the FDA, and 60% of that is rejected. When inspected, the imported shrimp had 162 separate species of bacteria with resistance to 10 different antibiotics.

 

China has been pumping their shrimp full of antibiotics. The FDA examined 3.7% of the shrimp in 2014 imported from Bangladesh and India, and found that 83% (from Bangladesh) and 74% (from Inida) were tainted and carrying bacteria.

 

Wild shrimp are caught using a method called “trawling.” This method is highly destructive. The large nets that they drag across the ocean floor kills other marine species while also causing damage to reefs and other structures that will last for decades.

 

Whether shrimp come from the Farm or the wild, they are packed with nutrients!! Four ounces of cooked shrimp includes around: 90 calories, 19g protein, 1g fat, and 179mg of the “good cholesterol.” So anyway you get shrimp is good for you, but FRESH is always BETTER than frozen!