Latest news with #RIGHTTest
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southern Shrimp Alliance study reveals a majority of Charleston-area restaurants serve imported shrimp
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WBCD) – The Southern Shrimp Alliance revealed, in a new study with SeaD Consulting, a majority of Charleston-area restaurants that claim to serve local shrimp are not actually doing so. SeaD Consulting randomly selected 44 restaurants throughout the region, in an attempt to bring transparency and awareness to the Lowcountry. Each of the restaurants selected advertise selling local shrimp. Charleston was the last and eighth stop for this study. The four identified restaurants that do serve domestically caught shrimp include Coosaw Creek Crab Shack, Grace & Grit, Rappahannock Oyster Bar, and Acme Lowcountry Kitchen. '70% of all the seafood eaten in the U.S. is done so at the restaurant level. Any deception done at this level is a detriment to not only our fishing community but also consumers coming down to the coast and wanting to enjoy fresh, local seafood,' Erin Williams, COO and co-founder of SeaD Consulting, said. 'Not only that, your restaurants are honestly sourcing to consumers who are paying that premium to get that quality seafood when competitors in their marketplace are not doing that.' The consulting firm discreetly tested these restaurants by order a shrimp dish, and bring some of it back to their lab. The researchers take a piece of tissue and run it through the RIGHTTest (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test) which takes approximately two hours. The results show the species type. The other 40 restaurants are accused of shipping their supply in, which can be cheaper than harvesting local shrimp. However, officials said this deception is harmful to consumers and the local community. 'It's really important to be upfront with your customers especially – it's not cheap to eat out. You have your locals who come to your restaurant and you have all the tourists coming here, and they're assuming that what they're eating is a locally caught product. Not something that's caught thousands of miles away that's farm-raised, it's awful,' Bobby Simons, owner of Acme, said. Simons works with local shrimpers in McClellanville and tells News 2 he maintains a long-term working relationship with them. Similarly, Rocky Magwood, president of the South Carolina Shrimpers Association, works with several other local restaurants. He said though the association did not request this study, Magwood hopes this now encourages more places to buy local. 'It's crazy to how this turned out to people are getting mad because they say 'oh they tested my restaurant', well if you're mad it's because you're not doing the right thing. Just understand, we're here to help you,' Magwood said. 'We're not even mad at the restaurants that wasn't selling fresh shrimp. Just call us and talk to us. We'll see what we can do to match your price and get to where we can get your business. We're just working people, we want to all work together.' The shrimpers association has a list of local restaurants that do sell local shrimp. Magwood said the consumer should also ask the restaurant if they do serve authentic shrimp. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
