Workers peel shrimp in a tin-roofed processing shed in the hamlet of the Tallarevu, in Kakinada district, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Indian shrimp is regularly sold in major U.S. stores such as Walmart, Target and Sam’s Club and supermarkets like Kroger, Safeway and Sprouts. A worker performs a routine check of shrimp at a hatchery in Nagulapally village, Uppada, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh, India, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.
In the 1970s, the U.S. led the world in shrimp production. Then, shrimp was considered a delicacy. Diners were served expensive shrimp cocktails with less than a dozen shellfish. Over the next two decades, the use of inexpensive shrimp-farming technologies soared in Asia, and imports flooded the market.Why AP called Ohio’s Republican US Senate primary for Bernie Moreno: Race call explainedexposed modern day slavery in the Thai seafood industry.
Some workers said they pay recruiters about 25 cents a day out of their salaries just to set foot inside the processing shed. Transportation in company buses is also deducted from some workers’ salaries, along with the cost of lunch from company canteens. Many workers have no contracts, and no recourse if they are hurt on the job.
The major corporations that responded to AP’s queries said they deplore human rights violations and environmental damage and would investigate.Human rights advocates say cost-cutting from U.S. supermarkets, restaurants and wholesalers squeeze producers to provide cheaper shrimp without addressing labor and environmental conditions.