New genetic testing results conducted by SEAD Consulting on behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance indicate that seafood misrepresentation remains a significant problem in restaurants despite the existence of Louisiana truth-in-menu laws, regulatory oversight, and financial penalties for violations.
The findings emerge from a comparison of two independent DNA-testing initiatives conducted in New Orleans over the past two years and suggest that seafood authenticity may be moving in the wrong direction.
In February 2025, testing conducted by SEAD Consulting on behalf of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force found that 21 of 24 randomly selected restaurants across neighborhoods throughout the New Orleans area were truthfully serving American wild-caught Gulf shrimp as advertised, an authenticity rate of 87 percent…