When you order Gulf shrimp at a restaurant in the Coastal Bend, you expect it to be fresh from nearby waters. But a new study conducted by SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, shows that’s not always the case.
Co-Founder of SeaD, David Williams, and his team tested shrimp from 44 Corpus Christi restaurants using its patented Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test, known as the RIGHTTest. Only 19 of those restaurants were confirmed to be serving genuine wild-caught Gulf shrimp.
“It’s important for places that are on the coast that promote coastal living and coastal cooking to actually support the industry that the restaurant promotes,” Williams said.
Genetic testing reveals over half of Corpus Christi restaurants mislabel source of seafood
The remaining 25 restaurants were found to be serving imported or farm-raised shrimp, despite menu claims, staff assurances or branding suggesting Gulf or wild-caught origins. Of those, 21 explicitly described their shrimp as local or domestic…