AP documents grueling conditions in Indian shrimp industry that report calls “dangerous and abusive”
India is the top supplier of shrimp to the U.S., with Indian shrimp stocked in freezers at most of the nation’s biggest grocery store and restaurant chains
By MARTHA MENDOZA, MAHESH KUMAR and PIYUSH NAGPAL
Published - Mar 20, 2024, 11:15 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 20, 2024, 11:15 AM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Noriko Kuwabara was excited to try a new recipe she’d seen on social media for crispy shrimp spring rolls, so she and her husband headed to Costco’s frozen foods aisle. But when she grabbed a bag of farm-raised shrimp from the freezer and saw “Product of India,” she wrinkled her nose.
“I actually try to avoid shrimp from India,” said Kuwabara, an artist. “I hear some bad things about how it’s grown there.”
She sighed and tossed the bag in her cart anyway.
Kuwabara’s dilemma is one an increasing number of American consumers face: With shrimp the leading seafood eaten in the United States, the largest supplier in this country is India, where the industry struggles with labor and environmental problems.
