Raise your hand if you assume that a seafood restaurant within a few miles of the coast is serving local seafood!
Seems logical, right?
A media release from SeaD Consulting has some alarming news about our local restaurants here in Savannah.
From February 18-23, 2025, SEAD Consulting, hired by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, genetically tested 44 restaurant dishes in the Savannah area to determine whether they were serving local Georgia wild-caught shrimp (as implied or advertised) or farm-raised imported shrimp. The company used the Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test (RIGHTTest™) to perform the testing.
The results showed that of the 44 restaurants, 34 were selling non-local shrimp. Meaning that only 10 were serving authentic domestic wild-catch fare. Ultimately, diners in Savannah have less than one in four chances of having fresh shrimp out of their coastal backyard.
These numbers are very disheartening. Not only for those of us who live in this region and want to eat local foods and support local industry, but it’s disheartening that we are denying our visitors the bounty of our local food resources.
We can and should do better.
I’m not naive. I understand that cost is an issue and is likely the overriding factor for restaurants choosing to serve imported shrimp. So, here’s where we as consumers need to step in. Let’s support the restaurants that ARE serving locally sourced shrimp.
And let’s let the others know that we are with them. We want to see them succeed. It’s not about boycotting or shaming. These restaurants are vital to our communities and economies and we get that profits are necessary. So, let’s let them know that a) we’re paying attention and we want local shrimp and b) we’re willing to pay for a superior product.
Eating in Savannah should be a unique experience, filled with foods that can only be sourced here, on our lands and off our shores. We owe that to ourselves and to everyone who visits here!
Think it can’t be done?
The Golden Isles are doing it right!
Golden Isles, GA – The Golden Isles has set a new benchmark for shrimp authenticity in Georgia, and in the U.S. for restaurant shrimp testing authenticity conducted by SeaD Consulting, using the RIGHTTest™ to date. In the eight-state comprehensive genetic testing initiative conducted by SeaD Consulting on behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, 43 of the 44 restaurant dishes sampled in the Golden Isles was confirmed to be genuine wild-caught American shrimp, exactly as advertised or implied. Only one restaurant was serving farm-raised imports, and they correctly identified the shrimp dish as being such, which indicates the area has a 100% transparency rate for what’s being served to customers.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Did any of this information surprise you? Are you willing to pay higher prices for locally sourced seafood? Do you think it’s important for customers to know whether or not they are eating imported shrimp?
Read the full reports here:
https://www.seadconsulting.com/news-and-media/media-kits/golden-isles-is-golden-for-shrimp-authenticity-and-transparency-on-the-menu
https://www.seadconsulting.com/news-and-media/media-kits/savannah-shrimp-scandal-77-of-perceived-local-shrimp-served-are-not
For more information on the Southern Shrimp Alliance visit here:
https://shrimpalliance.com