The shrimp we eat aren’t raised in clean, open water. The vast majority are grown in crowded ponds where waste builds up and disease spreads quickly. When outbreaks hit, entire ponds can die off in days.

To keep animals alive in these conditions, shrimp farms rely heavily on antibiotics and other chemical treatments. Many of these drugs are also used in human medicine. Antibiotics are banned entirely in shrimp imported to the U.S. because they can cause toxic side effects and even undermine the effectiveness of drugs people rely on to treat infections. This phenomenon, known as “antimicrobial resistance,” could lead to even simple infections becoming life-threatening as treatments fail.

Yet imported seafood is rarely tested for these banned drugs. Only 0.1 percent of all seafood is actually checked before reaching grocery stores. Despite that, testing continues to find illegal drug residues and drug-resistant bacteria in shrimp sold in the U.S. In one study, 70 percent of grocery store shrimp samples tested positive for a banned antibiotic. 

These issues aren’t limited to a few bad farms. Like factory farming on land, shrimp farming concentrates large numbers of animals in stressful, dirty conditions where disease and routine drug use become part of the system.

We’re continuing to investigate what’s happening behind farmed shrimp, including which drugs are being used, how often banned residues turn up, and what U.S. testing misses. Because only a tiny fraction of imports are ever tested, what regulators find represents just a narrow snapshot—not the full picture of what’s produced or consumed.

Want to know how to avoid these risks? We share clear, practical guidance on what to be cautious about, what claims to question, and how to reduce your exposure to farmed shrimp.