Know What’s in Your Shrimp–How to Choose Low or Toxin Free Shrimp

Eating shrimp, particularly that which comes from farms may cause more harm than good

freeskyline/shutterstock

Health Viewpoints

Shrimp is delicious and has high nutritional value. However, during the time of breeding, processing, storage, and transportation, it could arrive on your plate in less than its natural form and contain harmful chemical additives and other contaminants.

Jack’s Case

Jack, is a busy white-collar worker, who often needs to eat out due to time constraints. Every week he goes to a well-known local seafood restaurant for a meal of his favorite seafood—shrimp.

After having dinner there one night, Jack developed symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and severe stomach upset—so urgent that he went to a local hospital for help. After consultation and a series of checks, the doctor said that Jack may have suffered from food poisoning related to his meal.

Laboratory analysis detected high levels of toxic substances in his body, including mercury, lead, and other chemical residues. This does not prove that eating shrimp directly caused all of his symptoms, but it is clear that the quality of the shrimp may have brought about his distressing symptoms.

Chemicals Likely to Be Found in Shrimp

What toxins are often found in shrimp?

Antibiotics are substances that are often present in farmed shrimp. Excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics in shrimp culture farms may lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria. When people eat shrimp that contain these bacteria, it might cause the body to develop resistance to antibiotics, making it more difficult to treat bacterial infections.

There may also be chemical residues in shrimp. Pesticides, fungicides, and other chemical residues used in shrimp breeding grounds can have various adverse health effects. Short-term exposure to high concentrations of certain chemicals may cause acute symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or anaphylaxis. Long-term exposure to low concentrations of certain pesticides or chemicals may pose a risk of chronic health effects, including potential effects on the nervous system, hormone balance, or increased cancer risk.

Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic may also accumulate in edible shrimp. Chronic exposure to heavy metals as a result of prolonged or excessive consumption of contaminated shrimp can affect various organs and systems in the body, including the nervous system, kidneys, liver, and cardiovascular system. They can lead to neurological disorders, impaired cognitive function, kidney damage, and other adverse health effects, especially in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, infants, and children.

Environmental pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, or persistent organic pollutants are also frequently found in shrimp and may affect human health. Known as persistent organic pollutants, these substances can cause a variety of toxic effects on the body, including disruption of the endocrine system, immune system dysfunction, developmental problems, and increased risk of certain cancers.

In addition, the cheaper the shrimp, whether farmed or caught in the wild, the more likely it has been chemically treated, especially with sodium tripolyphosphate and Sodium bisulfite. Sodium bisulfite is used to prevent black spot disease (also known as black spot) on shrimp shells when they are exposed to oxygen after harvesting—even though this reaction is basically harmless—like the browning of the flesh after you cut open an apple.

Adding sodium bisulfite doesn’t stop the shrimp from deteriorating, it’s simply for aesthetics. In fact, a bit of dark spots is not necessarily a bad thing—they don’t affect the taste and can indicate that the shrimp has not been affected by any chemicals.

Phosphate is also a common chemical additive. Commonly used in scallops, phosphates cause seafood to absorb water, adding 7 to 10 percent weight. Phosphate-treated shrimp and untreated shrimp behave quite differently during cooking. Due to the higher water content, when you try to fry the former, they boil as they release stored water. They also have a springy, somewhat elastic texture that remains oddly translucent even after being cooked. Shrimp is often treated with phosphates after shell removal so, if you want to avoid them, try to buy shrimp with the shell on and remove them yourself.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers both phosphate and sodium bisulfite to be safe when applied in low dosages. However, it is important to note that approximately 1 percent of the population in the United States is allergic to sulfites.

Tips on Choosing the Best Quality Shrimp

To ensure buying high-quality shrimp, we should try our best to do the following:

1. Check Package Details

The chemicals should be listed on the label of bags or boxes of frozen shrimp.

2. Choose Wild-Caught Shrimp

Wild-caught shrimp generally has lower levels of heavy metals than farmed ones.

3. Choose Smaller Shrimp

Smaller shrimp usually contain lower levels of heavy metals because they are still young and have less time to accumulate toxins.

4. Check the Source

Choose shrimp from reputable suppliers or regions known for their strict quality control and seafood safety standards. Some countries have stricter regulations on seafood quality and may conduct regular heavy metal testing. The Environmental Working Group has a guide to help in finding safe seafood.

5. Look for Sustainable Certification

Consider choosing shrimp certified by a reputable sustainable seafood organization, such as the Marine Stewardship Council or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. These certifications often include heavy metal testing as part of their routine inspection standards.

6. Freshness and Smell

Choose fresh shrimp with a slight seawater smell, firm texture, and translucent appearance. Avoid buying shrimp with a strong odor of ammonia, slimy texture, or discoloration, which could be signs of poor quality or mishandling.

All in all, to avoid experiences such as Jack’s, we should pay attention to the possible health hazards behind choosing a meal for ourselves or our families.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.