Latest news with #ErinWilliams
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Study: Shreveport restaurants misrepresent imported shrimp as wild Gulf shrimp
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Where you stand on the name of the Gulf of water south of Louisiana is not nearly as important as where the shrimp on your plate came from. A recent report revealed that 58% of restaurants sampled in Shreveport were found to advertise or imply they serve Gulf wild-caught shrimp falsely. Rapid ID Genetic Highly-Accurate Test (RIGHTTest) revealed that farm-raised imported shrimp are being passed along to unknowing consumers as authentic Gulf shrimp. Samples taken between March 8-10, 2025, showed that the Shreveport sample contained the highest inauthenticity rate in Louisiana. SEAD Consulting has conducted the ongoing study, which found that in February 2025, the lowest rate of foreign farm-raised fraud was in New Orleans, with 13%, Baton Rouge, with 30%, and Lafayette, with 33% of the shrimp being Gulf imposters. More Louisiana News Back to Shreveport, out of 24 restaurants sampled, 17 were serving imported shrimp, and 14 of those were not labeled correctly, excluding the country of origin on the menu or denoting in signage that the shrimp was not from the nearest shrimp-filled waterway. 'What was shocking to me,' said SEAD COO Erin Williams, 'is that six of the 24 restaurants were blatantly being deceptive by labeling dishes as 'Gulf shrimp' (not just implying it through décor, location, and imagery), and served the SEAD investigation team imported shrimp instead.' This fraudulent practice not only misleads consumers but undermines Louisiana's shrimping industry. Shreveport is not as close to the Gulf as Louisiana's southernmost city, but that's not an excuse for passing off imported shrimp as if they were sourced from closer waterways. However, choosing the often 'cheaper' shrimp option instead of Gulf shrimp impacts Louisiana fishermen who are already fighting against environmental challenges, as well as those who earn their keep sourcing seafood. 'This is a blow to the culture of Louisiana, where authenticity in food is paramount,' said Rodney Olander, Chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force. 'When consumers are misled, it hurts local shrimpers and damages the reputation of our beloved seafood industry. We have the support of Southern Louisiana, but clearly not the entire state.' So if you want to eat Gulf shrimp that hasn't traveled, been frozen, or processed to get to your plate, the following local restaurants serve authentic Gulf shrimp. Chuck Wagon Crawfish, Copeland's of New Orleans (E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop), The Crabby Crawfish, Drago's Seafood Restaurant, Flying Burger and Seafood, The Noble Savage, and Oyster Bar & Grille. In the Louisiana study, the restaurants found to be serving imported shrimp without proper menu labeling on signage were released to the Louisiana Department of Health for review and enforcement. The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force studies and monitors the shrimp industry and makes recommendations to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Shrimp fraud' rampant at many Gulf Coast restaurants, new studies find
Restaurants throughout the Gulf Coast are serving imported shrimp but telling their customers they're feasting on fresh crustaceans fished in the Gulf of Mexico, a series of new studies found. SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, tested shrimp from randomly chosen restaurants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Galveston, Texas; and Tampa Bay, Florida. Researchers found a significant number of the restaurants were passing off their shrimp as locally sourced, even though they were grown on foreign farms and imported to the U.S. The cities with the highest "shrimp fraud rate" were Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, Florida, at 96%, according to SeaD Consulting. Only two of the 44 restaurants sampled were serving authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, a study found. The tests in other cities yielded similar results. In Biloxi, 82% of the restaurants "were defrauding consumers about what they were buying," SeaD said. In Galveston, 59% of the 44 restaurants it sampled served imported shrimp while claiming they were caught locally. In Baton Rouge, researchers sampled menu items at 24 restaurants and found nearly 30% – more than 1 in 4 – were misrepresented. 'Consumers come to the coast expecting the finest, freshest Gulf seafood, but what they're being served often falls far short of that,' said Erin Williams, chief operations officer of SeaD Consulting. 'This isn't just about mislabeling; it's about eroding consumer trust, undercutting local businesses, and threatening the livelihood of hardworking Gulf shrimpers.'The consulting company behind the research says the rampant misrepresentation hurts not only customers – who are put at higher risk of consuming tainted food – but also harms local fishermen struggling to compete with the low cost of imported shrimp from countries like India, Vietnam and Ecuador. About 90% of shrimp consumed in the United States is imported, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a Florida-based advocacy group that represents shrimpers in multiple states, said in a statement that 'Family-owned shrimp businesses operating out of the Port of Tampa are struggling to survive while local restaurants bamboozle customers into thinking locally caught shrimp are being served." "If restaurants wish to serve shrimp from countries associated with labor abuses, environmental harms, and banned antibiotic use, that is their choice. But be honest and let consumers choose what they eat," he said. The consulting company and groups advocating for fishermen have pushed state legislators to crack down on the mislabeling of seafood, especially shrimp, at restaurants. So far, Alabama and Louisiana are leading the charge to stamp out the misrepresentation and protect the bottom line of local shrimpers. Earlier this month, a new law went into effect in Louisiana requiring restaurants selling imported shrimp to include a notice on their menus telling customers the shrimp is imported and listing the country of origin. A similar law went into effect in Alabama in October. The studies were made possible with the development of a genetic test created by researchers at Florida State University and SeaD, which owns the patent on what it calls the RIGHTTest in partnership with the university. To detect authenticity, a test strip is placed into a DNA sample solution and examined for the presence of a gene specific to Atlantic white shrimp, which are particularly prone to substitution. The new test, which can detect raw and cooked species, knocked down a typically five-day process to as little as two hours, according to Florida State University. It also cut out the need to send samples to a testing lab for DNA extraction and analysis. Instead, the new test is much more affordable and can provide on-site results at restaurants and markets. SeaD Consulting and fishermen advocacy groups encourage tourists and locals to eat at restaurants that serve authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. However, finding out what restaurants are honestly serving shrimp from the Gulf is challenging. As processed shrimp is often peeled it can be difficult even for experts to discern shrimp species based on physical characteristics alone. 'When you peel the shrimp, they look similar,' Prashant Singh, an assistant professor at FSU who assisted in developing the shrimp species test, said in a statement. SeaD Consulting advises people to ask where their shrimp is from and support stronger regulations against the mislabeling of seafood. "Don't be afraid to ask your server for proof that the shrimp is locally caught, such as seeing the box it came in ‒restaurants should be proud to show where their seafood comes from," the company said in a statement. (This story was updated to add additional information.) Contributing: Wade Tatangelo, USA TODAY NETWORK This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Shrimp fraud' found to be rampant at Gulf Coast restaurants
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
'Shrimp fraud' rampant at many Gulf Coast restaurants, new studies find
Restaurants throughout the Gulf Coast are serving imported shrimp but telling their customers they're feasting on fresh crustaceans fished in the Gulf of Mexico, a series of new studies found. SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, tested shrimp from randomly chosen restaurants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Galveston, Texas; and Tampa Bay, Florida. Researchers found a significant number of the restaurants were passing off their shrimp as locally sourced, even though they were grown on foreign farms and imported to the U.S. The cities with the highest "shrimp fraud rate" were Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, Florida, at 96%, according to SeaD Consulting. Only two of the 44 restaurants sampled were serving authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, a study found. The tests in other cities yielded similar results. In Biloxi, 82% of the restaurants "were defrauding consumers about what they were buying," SeaD said. In Galveston, 59% of the 44 restaurants it sampled served imported shrimp while claiming they were caught locally. In Baton Rouge, researchers sampled menu items at 24 restaurants and found nearly 30% – more than 1 in 4 – were misrepresented. 'Consumers come to the coast expecting the finest, freshest Gulf seafood, but what they're being served often falls far short of that,' said Erin Williams, chief operations officer of SeaD Consulting. 'This isn't just about mislabeling; it's about eroding consumer trust, undercutting local businesses, and threatening the livelihood of hardworking Gulf shrimpers.'The consulting company behind the research says the rampant misrepresentation hurts not only customers – who are put at higher risk of consuming tainted food – but also harms local fishermen struggling to compete with the low cost of imported shrimp from countries like India, Vietnam and Ecuador. About 90% of shrimp consumed in the United States is imported, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a Florida-based advocacy group that represents shrimpers in multiple states, said in a statement that 'Family-owned shrimp businesses operating out of the Port of Tampa are struggling to survive while local restaurants bamboozle customers into thinking locally caught shrimp are being served." "If restaurants wish to serve shrimp from countries associated with labor abuses, environmental harms, and banned antibiotic use, that is their choice. But be honest and let consumers choose what they eat," he said. The consulting company and groups advocating for fishermen have pushed state legislators to crack down on the mislabeling of seafood, especially shrimp, at restaurants. So far, Alabama and Louisiana are leading the charge to stamp out the misrepresentation and protect the bottom line of local shrimpers. Earlier this month, a new law went into effect in Louisiana requiring restaurants selling imported shrimp to include a notice on their menus telling customers the shrimp is imported and listing the country of origin. A similar law went into effect in Alabama in October. The studies were made possible with the development of a genetic test created by researchers at Florida State University and SeaD, which owns the patent on what it calls the RIGHTTest in partnership with the university. To detect authenticity, a test strip is placed into a DNA sample solution and examined for the presence of a gene specific to Atlantic white shrimp, which are particularly prone to substitution. The new test, which can detect raw and cooked species, knocked down a typically five-day process to as little as two hours, according to Florida State University. It also cut out the need to send samples to a testing lab for DNA extraction and analysis. Instead, the new test is much more affordable and can provide on-site results at restaurants and markets. SeaD Consulting and fishermen advocacy groups encourage tourists and locals to eat at restaurants that serve authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. However, finding out what restaurants are honestly serving shrimp from the Gulf is challenging. As processed shrimp is often peeled it can be difficult even for experts to discern shrimp species based on physical characteristics alone. 'When you peel the shrimp, they look similar,' Prashant Singh, an assistant professor who assisted in developing the shrimp species test, said in a statement. SeaD Consulting advises people to ask where their shrimp is from and support stronger regulations against the mislabeling of seafood. "Don't be afraid to ask your server for proof that the shrimp is locally caught, such as seeing the box it came in ‒restaurants should be proud to show where their seafood comes from," the company said in a statement. (This story was updated to add additional information.) Contributing: Wade Tatangelo, USA TODAY NETWORK This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Shrimp fraud' found to be rampant at Gulf Coast restaurants
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
'Shrimp fraud' rampant at many Gulf Coast restaurants, new studies find
Restaurants throughout the Gulf Coast are serving imported shrimp but telling their customers they're feasting on fresh crustaceans fished in the Gulf of Mexico, a series of new studies found. SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, tested shrimp from randomly chosen restaurants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Galveston, Texas; and Tampa Bay, Florida. Researchers found a significant number of the restaurants were passing off their shrimp as locally sourced, even though they were grown on foreign farms and imported to the U.S. The cities with the highest "shrimp fraud rate" were Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, Florida, at 96%, according to SeaD Consulting. Only two of the 44 restaurants sampled were serving authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, a study found. The tests in other cities yielded similar results. In Biloxi, 82% of the restaurants "were defrauding consumers about what they were buying," SeaD said. In Galveston, 59% of the 44 restaurants it sampled served imported shrimp while claiming they were caught locally. In Baton Rouge, researchers sampled menu items at 24 restaurants and found nearly 30% – more than 1 in 4 – were misrepresented. 'Consumers come to the coast expecting the finest, freshest Gulf seafood, but what they're being served often falls far short of that,' said Erin Williams, chief operations officer of SeaD Consulting. 'This isn't just about mislabeling; it's about eroding consumer trust, undercutting local businesses, and threatening the livelihood of hardworking Gulf shrimpers.' The consulting company behind the research says the rampant misrepresentation hurts not only customers – who are put at higher risk of consuming tainted food – but also harms local fishermen struggling to compete with the low cost of imported shrimp from countries like India, Vietnam and Ecuador. About 90% of shrimp consumed in the United States is imported, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a Florida-based advocacy group that represents shrimpers in multiple states, said in a statement that 'Family-owned shrimp businesses operating out of the Port of Tampa are struggling to survive while local restaurants bamboozle customers into thinking locally caught shrimp are being served." "If restaurants wish to serve shrimp from countries associated with labor abuses, environmental harms, and banned antibiotic use, that is their choice. But be honest and let consumers choose what they eat," he said. The consulting company and groups advocating for fishermen have pushed state legislators to crack down on the mislabeling of seafood, especially shrimp, at restaurants. So far, Alabama and Louisiana are leading the charge to stamp out the misrepresentation and protect the bottom line of local shrimpers. Earlier this month, a new law went into effect in Louisiana requiring restaurants selling imported shrimp to include a notice on their menus telling customers the shrimp is imported and listing the country of origin. A similar law went into effect in Alabama in October. The studies were made possible with the development of a genetic test created by researchers at Florida State University and SeaD, which owns the patent on what it calls the RIGHTTest in partnership with the university. To detect authenticity, a test strip is placed into a DNA sample solution and examined for the presence of a gene specific to Atlantic white shrimp, which are particularly prone to substitution. The new test, which can detect raw and cooked species, knocked down a typically five-day process to as little as two hours, according to Florida State University. It also cut out the need to send samples to a testing lab for DNA extraction and analysis. Instead, the new test is much more affordable and can provide on-site results at restaurants and markets. SeaD Consulting and fishermen advocacy groups encourage tourists and locals to eat at restaurants that serve authentic shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. However, finding out what restaurants are honestly serving shrimp from the Gulf is challenging. As processed shrimp is often peeled it can be difficult even for experts to discern shrimp species based on physical characteristics alone. 'When you peel the shrimp, they look similar,' Prashant Singh, an assistant professor who assisted in developing the shrimp species test, said in a statement. SeaD Consulting advises people to ask where their shrimp is from and support stronger regulations against the mislabeling of seafood. "Don't be afraid to ask your server for proof that the shrimp is locally caught, such as seeing the box it came in ‒restaurants should be proud to show where their seafood comes from," the company said in a statement. (This story was updated to add additional information.) Contributing: Wade Tatangelo, USA TODAY NETWORK This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Shrimp fraud' found to be rampant at Gulf Coast restaurants
