Senator Cassidy Asserts Indian Prawns Have No Place on American Store Shelves

March 21 ;
Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, has vehemently maintained that forced labour and the use of illegal antibiotics on seafood are two reasons why Indian prawns should not be imported into the United States.

The Senator said, "Indian shrimp relies on forced labour and is pumped full of illegal antibiotics. Today's report outlining the abuses at Choice Canning Company's shrimp processing factory in India makes clear why Indian shrimp does not belong on the shelf alongside Louisiana shrimp." To guarantee that American consumers are not in danger, USTR must take action.

A whistleblower's report about the activities at the Choice Canning factory in Andhra Pradesh and broad observations about what goes on in other prawn processing factories in India provided context for Senator Cassidy's statements. In an effort to safeguard his state's shrimp harvest against India's "dumping of cheap shrimp and produce into U.S. markets," the Louisiana Republican filed two legislation in 2023.

It is noted that just three businesses, Choice Canning among them, sent about 12% of all Indian shrimp to the US in 2023. This shrimp is marketed to numerous US military installations across the globe in addition to big US and European stores. Approximately 40% of the prawns consumed in America are reportedly sourced from India's aquaculture sector.

Joshua Farinella, the whistleblower, quit his job in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh, and returned to the United States. There, he filed complaints with multiple federal agencies, alleging deliberate violations of food safety and health regulations, including the discovery that prawns exported from the country had tested positive for antibiotics. Choice Canning has adamantly denied ever sending prawns that were tainted with antibiotics to the United States.