The Ecuadorian shrimp industry, represented by the National Chamber of Aquaculture (Camara Nacional de Acuacultura) and the Sustainable Shrimp Initiative, has joined United States domestic shrimp producers in supporting the addition of shrimp to the US Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). It regards this as a significant milestone in empowering consumers to choose shrimp grown to the highest standards.
“We are very satisfied to see the addition of shrimp to the US imports monitoring program,” said Jose Antonio Camposano, executive president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture Ecuador. “For too long now the shrimp sector has been a commodity market and quality and health have taken a back seat to prices, and consumers had no way of knowing how and where their shrimp was produced. This updated measure will help change that, and can only be good for regions such as Ecuador that are dedicated to responsible production. There are consumers who care about what they eat, and how it was produced, but they need more information in order to make wise choices.”
Ecuador recently launched the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), which is a leadership initiative in the farmed shrimp sector that is committed to achieving and promoting the highest quality products produced to the highest social and environmental standards. All SSP members must meet strict product criteria that includes the following: Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certification; full traceability; zero use of antibiotics; minimal environmental impact – measure through as assessment of water quality.
“The SSP commitments fully support the requirements of the US monitoring program,” said Camposano. “And we firmly believe increased traceability is the only way we can change the direction of the industry, and provide consumers with the confidence that the food they are eating is free of antibiotics and produced responsibly.”
