Buying Thailand Shrimp? A very sad report..

Not all shrimp processing shops in Thailand are like the ones discribed below...however, this shrmp dude would find it very hard to know when buying a " Processed in Thialand " packed shrimp product on a grocery shelf ..Was it packed by a Good Packer or one using forced labor ?? How do we tell as consumers? 

March 9, 2012
Thailand

Forced Labor, Human Trafficking and Bondage in Shrimp Processing Plants

Labor exploitation, human trafficking and bondage of migrant workers from Burmacontinues in Samut Sakhon Province’s shrimp-processing plants, according to Sompong Srakaew, founder and director of the Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation,despite the passing of an anti-human-trafficking law nearly four years ago.

Exactly how many workers are trapped in bondage inside shrimp processing plants is unknown.  Sompong estimates about 30 per cent of the 400,000-plus Burmese workers in the province are being exploited.  Plant managers confiscate work permits, temporary passports and identity cards so that their Burmese workers can’t seek employment elsewhere.  Some are not allowed to leave the plants and are forced to work like slaves.  “It’s hard to pin down the figures by making an estimate,” Sompong said.  “But they are definitely there and they end up as virtually slave labor.”

Sompong believes the Thai government isn’t doing enough to warn migrant workers of the danger.  He said signs warning job seekers about abuses have been removed at busy transport hubs like the Mor Chit Bus Terminal.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone             1-781-861-1441      , email jsackton@seafood.com).  Thai Government Accused of Failing to Combat Burmese Labor Trafficking in Shrimp Plants.  March 7, 2012.

Ecuador .. Exports Close to a Billion Dollars Worth of Shrimp in 2011

Great going Ecuador.. our exports are up and continue to rise.. Because we care about what you eat.. We farm raise our shrimp right here in Ecuador..The EcuFriendly way!! 

March 9, 2012
Ecuador

Produces Close to a Billion Dollars Worth of Shrimp in 2011

José Antonio Camposano, chief executive of the National Aquaculture Chamber, estimated that Ecuador produced $950 million worth of shrimp in 2011, compared to $800 million in 2010.  In 2011, 50% of the crop was sold to Europe and 36% to the United States, with the remaining 14 percent going to Asia.  Camposano said that exports to China and South Korea almost quadrupled.

Source: FIS United States.  30 PC of Exported Shrimp Comes from El Oro.  Analia Murias (editorial@fis.com).  March 7, 2012.

Estimated World Production of Farmed Shrimp Ecuador ranking 5th in the World and Largest Supplier of Farmed Shrimp in the Americas!

The World

Estimated World Production of Farmed Shrimp and Prawns in 2010

Aquafauna Bio-Marine, which markets specialized diets, equipment and consulting services to shrimp hatcheries worldwide, reports that there are an estimated 2.3 to 2.4 million hectares of shrimp ponds in the world, producing, on average, approximately 1.3 metric tons a year.  Aquafauna says it took an estimated three billion pairs of broodstock to supply the approximate one trillion seedstock required by the industry in 2010.  Restocking ponds because of seedstock mortalities after stocking accounts for approximately 30% of the seedstock requirement.

In business for almost 35 years, Aquafauna provided the following data on the world production of shrimp and prawns in 2010:

Imports of Shrimp to the USA up 3%.. ECUADOR #2 Importer to the USA!

February 15, 2012

United States

Washington DC—Shrimp Imports up 3% in 2011

At nearly 1.27 billion pounds, USA shrimp imports finished 2011 up 3 percent from 2010, according to government figures released on February 11, 2012, the second straight year that shrimp imports have increased.

The 2011 total topped 2010’s record of 1.23 billion pounds even though imports from the United States’ No. 1 shrimp supplier, Thailand, were down.  Imports from Thailand finished 2011 down 8.3 percent from 2010, at 407.8 million pounds.  Also, imports from China and Vietnam were down 10.6 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively, in 2011.

Picking up the slack were Indonesia, Ecuador, Mexico, India and Malaysia.  Last year, shrimp imports from those five countries were up 15.1 percent, 13.5 percent, 30.5 percent, 59.5 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively, from 2010.  Ecuador, the United States’ No. 2 shrimp supplier in 2011, chipped in 162.4 million pounds, while Indonesia, the No. 1 shrimp supplier, shipped 155.1 million pounds.

At around 4 pounds, shrimp represents roughly one-quarter of USA per-capita seafood consumption.

Sources: 1. Seafood Source.  U.S. Shrimp Imports up 3% in 2011.  February 14, 2012.  2. United States Department of Agriculture Webpage.  Economic Research Service.  Data Sets.  Aquaculture Data.  February 15, 2012.

Now this is COOL..Goggle Search "SHRIMP" and see what you get!!!

My Partner Steven and I are finishing a very comprehensive shrimp production and processing business plan at the moment and he decided to type in the word "Shrimp" to see what he came up. I was amazed that my handy work in shrimp photos and some of my recent posts were scattered throughout google NEAR THE TOP. I also figured out that one of the nice benefits of being on Google+ social media us that you get great Google search engine ratings on your posts .. well at least with  my "Shrimp Tales" posting :)

Thanks Google cuz now you have urged me on to post more and influence more and to even cook more shrimp recipes.. since most of my photos are on creations made in my own Shrimp Dude kitchen! My favorite is below.. a little Cheezy Shrimp n Grits whipped up last Sunday morning while most of Ecuador was still sleeping!

Ok .. back to pricing out some shrimp orders. After which i will head to my second office "the kitchen" to play with some panko breadcrumb butterfly cut shrimp.. Photos later i am sure.

Now go and Google Search "Shrimp" or your own favorite word! or click https://www.google.com/search?q=Shrimp&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS378&qscrl=1&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=xHQxT7f0BsKhtweN8pGFBw&ved=0CEsQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=709  .. Best Doug

   

China - 62,000 cases concerning substandard food were spotted in the first 11 months of 2011

Food safety suffers 'feeble foundation'

Global Times | January 11, 2012 01:30 By Agencies

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A senior Chinese official admitted Tuesday that the nation's food safety still suffered from a "feeble foundation."

Despite achievements made in 2011, the nation will continue to have a hard time ensuring food safety for a quite long time, said Zhang Yong, director of the executive office of the food safety commission under the State Council.

He said problems remained at deep administrative levels, as a large number of food producers and catering operators are running small-scale businesses and some consumers lack knowledge and safety awareness.

New risks emerged with the use of new technology and materials in food production, and environmental pollution in producing areas also posed new challenges to traditional safety standards and tests, he said.

The director said remarkable progress had been made in improving the nation's food safety supervision network but the current system still does not fit in with actual demand, noting that supervision at grass-roots levels is extremely weak and that more efforts are needed to improve supervision and emergency handling capabilities.

Food safety scandals erupted in great numbers in 2011. Authorities busted farmers for adding clenbuterol, a known carcinogen, to pig feed in order to produce leaner pigs, for example.

In late December, milk products by the nation's leading dairy company, Mengniu, were found to contain high levels of aflation, a cancer-causing toxin.

To make the nation's food supplies safer in 2012, the authorities will carry out campaigns targeting six sectors: the rural food market, dairy products, edible oil, liquor, seasonal and festive food as well as food additive management, according to a statement released after Tuesday's national work conference on food safety supervision.

By the latest official count, a total of 62,000 cases concerning substandard food were spotted in the first 11 months of 2011, underscoring the severity of China's food safety problem.

Authorities ordered 43,000 businesses found illegally operating without licenses to cease production, while revoking the business licenses of 576 operators during that period, according to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Japan's "Great Catch".. Antibiotics in Shrimp Farming..NO Vietnam there is no need to use Antibiotics in your shrimp pools!!!

Ok... NOW do you really know whats in your Seafood?

January 8, 2012Vietnam

Japan Rejects Vietnamese Shrimp Because of Antibiotics

In 2011, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Japan rejected 56 shrimp shipments from Vietnam because they contained residues of the antibiotic enrofloxacin.  The shrimp were shipped back to Vietnam.  If the rejections continue into 2012, some shrimp exporters may have to shut down and some, if they get caught again, may face bankruptcy.

Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP), said conducting tests on the processed products prior to exports would not be a comprehensive solution to the issue because farmers would still use enrofloxacin in their shrimp feeds.  Asking farmers to stop using the antibiotic is out of exporters’ control, Hoe said.  VASEP has repeatedly urged the General Seafood Department to consider prohibiting the use of enrofloxacin in shrimp feed.

Pham Anh Tuan, deputy head of the General Seafood Department, said, “We are reviewing all of the drugs used in aquaculture and will eliminate all that contain enrofloxacin....”

Source: Tuoitrenews.  Shrimp Exporters Face Shut-Down Due to Antibiotic Residue. January 7, 2012.

Ok.. my 2 Cents worth ;)

Here in Ecuador the use of antibiotics in our shrimp production is against the LAW.. Especially antibiotics from the Fluoroquinolone family! Used to treat bacterias NOT viruses.. I suspect that the Vietnamese farmers were trying to use this above treatment as a broad-spectrum antibiotic hoping to kill nasty buggs that seem to be getting into their pools...without really knowing what they were really trying to protect their shrimp from. Great the Japanese caught these shipments from Vietnam and returned them.. our world wide shrimp farming industry needs to understand NO USE of Antibiotics MEANS DO NOT USE! Except that it looks as though the Vietnamese General Seafood Department is reviewing the use of ALL DRUGS used in aquaculture? What? ALL DRUGS... hey here in Ecuador we use ZERO drugs in our shrimp production... well unless you call adding to the feed some Pro-biotics and for breakfast a little citric acid (orange juice) drugs, as the health of our shrimp is very important to us and our consumers.

Because we care about what you eat.. we will keep you updated :)

My best .. Douglas