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Louisiana shrimpers battle imports to preserve authenticity
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LOUISIANA, (KLFY) -- Louisiana's shrimping industry is fighting to maintain its authenticity amid challenges from imported seafood, with SEAD Consulting playing a pivotal role in this effort.
The Louisiana seafood industry, including shrimp, crawfish and oysters, has been struggling against the influx of imported seafood. SEAD Consulting has stepped in to help by verifying the authenticity of local seafood through their innovative Right Test, which ensures that seafood labeled as local or wild-caught is genuine.
"SEAD Consulting is a consulting company based in the seafood industry," said David Williams, President of SEAD Consulting. "Basically, we do technical work in the seafood industry, and our latest work has developed a rapid diagnostic test called the Right Test."
SEAD Consulting's efforts have led to significant improvements in the authenticity rates of seafood served at festivals. According to Williams, when they first started testing, festivals like the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and the National Shrimp Festival had authenticity rates as low as 20%. However, after SEAD's involvement, these festivals achieved 100% authenticity rates.
Williams emphasized that Louisiana has taken a leading role in maintaining seafood authenticity, attributing this success to the state's commitment to honoring its cultural and coastal heritage.
"I think the point has been well taken, because I believe a lot of the festivals now are honoring their commitment to the culture and coast they are representing and they are doing the right thing," he said.
SEAD Consulting has been testing restaurants for over a year, and Williams noted that Louisiana stands out as the most authentic state on the Gulf and East Coast due to its strict rules and regulations.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.