Report finds 60% frozen shrimp samples contaminated

A new report by Consumer Reports (CR) has found that close to 60% of the frozen shrimps sampled in the US were contaminated.

Researchers from CR tested a total of 284 raw and 58 cooked shrimp from retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Costco, Fry’s Marketplace, Hy-Vee and Sprouts Farmers Market from across the country.

While 60% of the shrimps tested positive for Salmonella, Vibrio, Listeria, or E. coli, 2% tested positive for the superbug MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Shrimps have the potential to be a risk for consumers if not raised, caught and handled properly. However, nearly 94% of the raw shrimps in the US are imported from places including Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia.

According to the report, most of the shrimps are farmed in industrial tanks or shallow, man-made ponds, where at times around 150 shrimps can occupy a single square meter and are fed commercial pellets, including antibiotics to prevent diseases.

The CR report specially emphasised that 11 samples from Vietnam, Thailand, and Bangladesh tested positive for one or more antibiotics, while nine tested positive for oxytetracycline, reports foodsafetynews.com. Three samples contained enrofloxacin, and two contained sulfa antibiotics.

Executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center PhD Urvashi Rangan said: "Bacteria and algae can begin to grow and disease can set in, prompting farmers to use drugs and other chemicals that can remain on the shrimp and seep into the surrounding environment."

Rangan also stated that similar to any raw meat, bacteria has the potential of dying once cooked. Although freezing can help in controlling Vibrio, 28% of the frozen samples tested positive for it.

According to the findings of the report, raw, farmed shrimp from Bangladesh and India were the most likely to carry bacteria, while shrimp from Argentina and the US were the least likely to be contaminated.

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Image: 60% of the sampled shrimps were found to be contaminated. Photo: courtesy of rakratchada torsap/freedigitalphotos.net.