Welwyn Garden City, U.K.-based retailer Tesco is committing to enhanced shrimp welfare through its new Farmed Decapod Crustacean Welfare Policy, which includes such planned measures as no longer selling live shrimp and ensuring its suppliers electrically stun their shrimp before slaughter.
“We recognize that there are several major welfare concerns with the transport, storage, and eventual slaughter of decapod crustaceans when sold as live either through retail stores or online retailing,” Tesco’s welfare commitment states. “We, therefore, commit to prohibiting the sale of any live decapod crustaceans through our stores or online.”
The Tesco commitment covers two shrimp species – Penaeus vannamei, or whiteleg shrimp, and Penaeus monodon, or tiger prawns – and, according to Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.-based nonprofit Mercy for Animals, it represents a significant milestone in the fight for shrimp welfare.
“[Tesco’s welfare commitments] follow a sustained campaign by Mercy for Animals and its supporters, urging the company to ban cruel shrimp-farming practices, such as eyestalk ablation and ice slurry immersion,” the group said. “Tesco’s policy is a crucial step in alleviating some of the worst cruelty that billions of shrimp endure annually. We hope this commitment from Tesco will spur other retailers to recognize the importance of adopting more sustainable practices for all animals.”
Eyestalk ablation, which is a practice in which shrimp farmers remove one or both eyestalks in female shrimp to encourage them to develop mature ovaries and lay eggs, is a common practice in shrimp farming but has become a welfare concern. As a result, only post-larvae sourced from non-ablated female broodstock will be accepted into Tesco supply chains from 2026 onward for whiteleg shrimp and 2027 onward for tiger prawns.
As for ice slurry immersion – a method in which shrimp are immersed in salt water below 4 degrees Celsius before slaughter and which some experts say does not properly stun shrimp – only a minority of Tesco’s shrimp are stunned using this method, with strict monitoring conditions of ice slurry temperatures and water conditions in place, Tesco said.
"However, we recognize and support the move to the use of electrical stunning of decapod crustaceans as a more effective and humane method,” the retailer said.
For whiteleg shrimp, Tesco has already implemented electrical stunning across a proportion of its supply base and states it is committed to achieving 100 percent adoption of this best practice by 2026, the policy said.
“In addition, we are currently exploring the practicalities of implementing this across our [tiger prawn] supply chains with our suppliers,” according to Tesco.
Besides banning live shrimp sales and certain slaughter methods, Tesco also aims to ensure 100 percent of shrimp feed in its supply chain achieves a forage fish dependency ratio of less than 1 by 2030.
“We recognize that all farmed species require a nutritious, balanced diet to promote health growth and optimal nutritional value for our consumers. For most aquatic species, this has traditionally been achieved through the inclusion of fishmeal and fish oil sourced from wild-caught fish,” Tesco said.
Though wild-caught fish used in feed has remained an industrial norm, the industry has been increasingly examining more sustainable sources of ingredients, such as trimmings and the use of novel ingredients such as insects, Tesco said.
“[We] will work with our supply base to support the reduction of wild-sourced fishmeal and fish oil used in diets to ensure that all of our suppliers obtain a forage fish and oil dependency ratio of [less than] 1,” the retailer said.
Additionally, Tesco said that 100 percent of its suppliers must comply with recognized farm-assurance schemes, such as Aquaculture Stewardship Council, GlobalG.A.P., or 4-star Best Aquaculture Practices.
“Farm-assurance schemes play an integral part in the management of farmed decapod crustaceans, ensuring farming practices protect and improve the health and welfare of these animals while adhering to legislative requirements,” the retailer said.
To that end, its suppliers must hold certification that is compliant with ISO 17020 inspection requirements as a prerequisite of supply.
“This applies to all stages of the supply chain, including hatcheries, farms, and feed mills,” Tesco said.
After the retailer implements the welfare standards, it has pledged to conduct regular audits throughout its supply chain to ensure compliance.
“We will work closely with industry, NGOs and researchers to ensure our commitments stay relevant and update this policy when required,” Tesco said.
Meanwhile, Mercy for Animals is urging other leading retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Aldi, and Lidl to implement similar policies.
“Concerted efforts across organizations can help drive meaningful change in the seafood industry, sparing billions of shrimp from cruel practices globally,” the nonprofit said.
