Americans aren’t particularly enthusiastic about seafood. We eat less than half of what a Japanese or Indonesian eats. Less than a third of the average Icelander. But there is one big exception: shrimp.
Our appetite for this fatty little crustacean has been growing for decades, with the average American now eating nearly six pounds of it a year, far more than any other marine product. Just ask Red Lobster: The struggling seafood chain declared bankruptcy this month, citing, among other things, an all-you-can-eat shrimp program that cost the company $11 million after under -estimated the amount people would eat.
But how healthy are our favorite seafood? Is it good for our body? What about the world’s mangrove forests and sea turtle populations? And how do you know what to buy the next time you’re at the seafood counter?
Human health
Shrimp are a good source of protein, on par with, say, a rib-eye. It is rich in calcium and vitamin B12. It is low in saturated fat, which makes it good for the heart. And even though shrimp is high in cholesterol, experts are no longer as concerned about the health effects of dietary cholesterol.
But if you’re looking for the other nutritional benefits expected from seafood, you’ll be disappointed. Shrimp tails are not particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids, iron or iodine. “From a nutritional standpoint,” said Zach Koehn, a nutrition researcher at Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions, “it’s kind of like white meat from the sea.”
Most seafood is richer in nutrients than land-based meat, but the species of shrimp that Americans eat are at the bottom of that list, near the bottom with cod and tilapia. Chicken contains more protein, and seafood like sardines, salmon, and oysters are much richer in nutrients.
However, because they are low on the food chain, shrimp generally do not tend to accumulate environmental toxins, such as mercury or dioxins, found in large predators like tuna or swordfish. . This puts them on the Food and Drug Administration’s “top picks” list for pregnant women and children, meaning they are considered safe to eat two or three times a week.
So, do shrimp have any health downsides? A few. Frozen shrimp may contain preservatives like sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bisulfite, which people sensitive to sulfites or phosphates may want to avoid. And farmed shrimp can pose a few problems of their own, depending on their country of origin and the condition of each farm.
Mercury and arsenic can accumulate in sludge beneath shrimp ponds, said José Antonio Rodríguez Martín, a biologist who has studied the issue for Spain’s National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology. . However, even the highest levels of heavy metals found by Dr. Martín in Ecuadorian farmed shrimp were half of those seen in the least contaminated tuna. He added that this meant they posed “no undue risk” to most people.
In many countries, shrimp farms also use large quantities of antibiotics to keep the animals healthy. Some drugs, like nitrofurans, can cause liver damage and are linked to cancer, and almost all are banned in the United States.
Shipments that comply with U.S. law are safe, but not all shipments are, said Julie Lively, a shellfish expert and associate professor at Louisiana State University’s AgCenter. His research, and that of others, revealed the presence of banned antibiotics in imported shrimp, as well as unlabeled preservatives.
Although contaminated imported shrimp is a problem that requires further research, she said it is probably not a serious health risk, comparing it to that posed by plastic packaging. “It kind of comes down to personal choice,” she said. However, she added, antibiotics can cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to them.
The environmental and human costs of shrimp
Now for the really bad news: When it comes to ocean health, many experts say shrimp is among the most harmful foods you can eat. This is not because shrimp are endangered – most species are resilient – but because of what we have to do to catch them.
Most shrimp on American plates are imported, mainly from Asia and Latin America. More than half of them are raised on farms: vast networks of densely populated coastal ponds, often at the edge of the ocean. Their construction destroys crucial coastal habitats like mangroves and other wetlands. And once built, farms can further pollute coastlines with runoff, such as fertilizers and antibiotics.
Wild shrimp also have a huge ecological price: bycatch. Because shrimp are so small, the nets used to catch them tend to catch everything else in their path. In some countries, up to 90 percent of what appears in a shrimp fillet is not shrimp. These sharks, turtles, baby snappers and hundreds of other species tend to die in the nets or on the deck of the boat.
In some places, shrimp production has also been downright horrible for humans. In 2015, the Associated Press exposed the widespread use of bonded labor in Thailand’s shrimp industry. The U.S. Department of Labor has also denounced shrimp production in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia for using child labor or forced labor.
Most recently, an investigative report from the Outlaw Ocean Project took a damning look at shrimp farming in India, the largest importer of shrimp into the United States, which raised concerns not only about labor practices, but also banned antibiotics and environmental damage.
How to Buy Shrimp That’s Good for You and the World
Buying healthy, sustainable shrimp is possible, but it takes work.
To get started, you need to know where your shrimp comes from and how it was produced, said Corbett Nash, a spokesperson for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, an online resource intended to help consumers make shrimp. informed choices when it comes to seafood.
If you’re worried about their impact on the environment, farmed shrimp probably have a slight advantage, Mr. Nash said. The most sustainable products come from the United States and Canada. But they represent less than 1% of the U.S. market and can be difficult to find.
Ecuador, the second-largest source of shrimp in the United States, is a good alternative, Mr. Nash said. Honduras and Thailand also have relatively strict environmental regulations, despite Thailand’s poor human rights record. Avoid most shrimp from India, Indonesia and Mexico, he added.
Wild shrimp are more expensive, but also tastier and less likely to be contaminated with environmental toxins. If you buy them, fishing practices in the United States and Canada tend to be less harmful to ocean life than elsewhere. Otherwise, look for shrimp certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Beyond that, good advice quickly becomes complicated, because it varies according to country, species and fishing practices. It is best to consult an online guide.
But experts say the most important thing to do is simply ask questions about sustainable options. Even if your server or fishmonger has no idea where the shrimp come from – or if, for example, the boat used a turtle exclusion device – the issue puts pressure on the industry.
“It means there is a desire for sustainable seafood,” Mr. Nash said, “and we can hope that that trickles down to retailers, buyers, producers.”
Ultimately, decisions about shrimp come down to your values about what you eat. Dr. Rodriguez Martín and Dr. Lively said they eat shrimp, as does Mr. Nash, although rarely, and he reads the packaging meticulously. Dr. Lively usually only eats shrimp from the United States.
Dr. Koehn doesn’t eat shrimp, but he tries not to lecture his friends and family. Recently, he attended a nephew’s first communion, which included an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet.
“Am I talking about labor abuse and the impact on the oceans? » he asked, shaking his head. “They are 10 years old. Let them enjoy it and tell them later.