After more than a decade of delays, the government is moving toward allowing shrimp farmers to label their products “organic”. The Agriculture Department says it will propose organic standards for farmed shrimp in 2015. But don’t expect organic shrimp in your grocery store anytime soon. It could be available in two years—but only if USDA moves quickly to complete the rules and seafood companies decide to embrace them.
Organic shrimp would help USA farmers sell their products at a premium, as they struggle to compete against cheaper imports.
The United States is “trying to play catch-up on organic aquaculture,” says Miles McEvoy, who heads up USDA’s organic program. The European Union and Canada, along with other countries, are already exporting organic seafood products to the United States.
It’s still unclear if USA standards can be successful. Many say they expect the requirements for organic shrimp feed may be so strict as to be financially prohibitive. On the other hand, some consumer and environmental groups have said they are concerned the standards won’t be strict enough.