Ecuador is the second-largest supplier of shrimp to the United States.
Photo: Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture.
Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) has welcomed the results of the sampling and analysis program for the period 2022-2024 conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which focuses on economically motivated adulteration, specifically short-weighting in frozen seafood imports, and showed that Ecuadorian shrimp exports comply with the US FDA's requirements.
Using AOAC Method 963.18 to evaluate compliance with net weight declarations, the FDA analyzed a total of 28 samples of frozen seafood packaged for retail sale, of which 25 were shrimp, 2 were squid, and 1 was tilapia. Each of these samples was in turn composed of 48 units from the same production batch.
Thus, according to the note issued by the CNA, none of the shrimp products sampled from Ecuador presented short-weighting violations, meaning that the actual net weight matched the net weight declared on the label.
"This is a notable outcome, especially in the context of the program overall, where 36 % of total samples (10 out of 28) were found to be violative, with deviations ranging from 2.3 % to 9.9 %," Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture pointed out in its release.
"This finding affirms the rigorous standards upheld in Ecuadorian shrimp exports and underscores the vital role of compliance with international requirements," it added, noting that accurate net weight labeling protects transparency in trade, reinforces consumer confidence, and helps prevent fraudulent practicessuch as economically motivated adulteration, in which products are deliberately made to appear heavier or more substantial than they actually are.
These positive FDA findings confirming the integrity of Ecuadorian shrimp exports in terms of weight are particularly relevant for the South American country, as Ecuador is the second largest supplier of shrimp to the United States and therefore faces continuous scrutiny not only from US trade and food regulatory agencies, but also from local shrimp industry associations.
For example, last May, the Southern Shrimp Alliance requested the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate what they consider to be government benefits granted to Ecuador's shrimp industry. The organization denounced what it considers evidence of illegal mangrove deforestation, forced labor practices, and receipt of World Bank funds that would go against the countervailing duty order recently imposed on Ecuadorian shrimp.
Previously, in October 2024, the Ecuadorian shrimp industry had avoided US sanctions after the results of an investigation launched a year earlier by the U.S. Department of Commerce into the alleged use of subsidies and dumping in shrimp imports to the US concluded positively for Ecuador's interests.
Even with all that, Ecuadorian shrimp exports to the United States are subject to a 3.78% surcharge corresponding to countervailing duties resulting from that investigation into alleged subsidies to the sector. In addition, since August 7, there has been a new 15% tariff on Ecuadorian products in the United States imposed by the Trump administration.
As a result, Ecuadorian shrimp - Ecuador's main export to the United States - now faces a total tariff burden of 18.78% to enter the US market, to which it exported 412 million pounds in 2024, equivalent to USD 1.28 billion. This figure could increase this year, as according to data recently provided by the CNA, in the first half of 2025 alone, 296 million pounds were shipped, valued at USD 867 million.