Good news: Albert Heijn is no longer selling these shrimp
Good practices from Albert Heijn! The supermarket is stopping the sale of farmed shrimp associated with considerable animal suffering. These are shrimp that come from female shrimp whose eyes have been cut off so they can lay eggs faster. Animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier—which brought these practices to attention years ago—can only applaud Albert Heijn’s action.
Because what happens to these shrimp is really not pretty. We previously wrote an article about it. Think of it this way: behind a shrimp’s eye is a gland. This gland produces hormones that influence when shrimp can lay eggs. By cutting through the eye (or rather, cutting through the stalk on which the eyes are located), those hormones no longer do their job. As a result, female shrimp are ready to lay eggs much earlier. Their offspring eventually end up in stores. The fact that the female shrimp produces offspring sooner saves time and therefore money. And yes, that makes it interesting for sellers.
Distressed
Wakker Dier further explains on its website why these practices are downright appalling for shrimp. The eyes can be cut off in 2 ways: with a red-hot pair of tweezers or by cutting into the eye and squeezing out its contents. Holy shit. Research shows that shrimp really are distressed during and after this event. They recoil when they are ‘attacked’ and then swim around disoriented. Bizarre, right?
No longer turning a blind eye
The farmed shrimp subjected to this treatment often come from Vietnam, Ecuador, Honduras, Indonesia and Venezuela. They swim there in large farming tanks. Such shrimp are sold in many Dutch supermarkets and stores. At Albert Heijn too, but that will soon be a thing of the past. The fresh farmed shrimp have already disappeared from the supermarket shelves this week. Frozen shrimp and all products containing farmed shrimp, such as tapas, will follow as soon as possible. Another good intention: Albert Heijn wants from now on to offer only shrimp that have been electrically stunned before being killed.
”Let this be an inspiration for other supermarkets!”, says Wakker Dier director Anne Hilhorst on the animal welfare organisation’s website. Trouw reports that Jumbo is also already in talks with Wakker Dier ”to see what steps are needed to improve the welfare of shrimp”. Let us hope that more and more supermarkets, restaurants and fish shops will no longer turn a blind eye to these shocking practices.
Also read:
- The easiest way to clean shrimp or prawns
- Common mistakes when preparing shrimp
- Recipe for the most delicious shrimp cocktail
Sources: Wakker Dier, Trouw, NU.nl
