Tying Florida pink shrimp in with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October is just one of the ways the state’s shrimp industry is trying to spur sales of the product.
Working with the Florida Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing in Tallahassee, Sweetbay Supermarket is tying the “Think Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness campaign in with Key West pink shrimp.
For two weeks in mid-October, the 102-store Florida chain is featuring the shrimp in its circular, along with the “Shrimp from Florida” logo, recipes and information on the shrimp’s flavor and quality.
During the promotion, Sweetbay is retailing the shrimp for USD 6.99 a pound for large sizes and USD 7.99 a pound for jumbo sizes.
“They have done pink shrimp promotions in the past. This one is of particular interest because it coincides with breast cancer awareness,” said Barbara Turnbull, the bureau’s marketing development representative.
Meanwhile, Florida fishermen are gearing up for the fall pink shrimp season, which runs from mid- to late November, after a successful spring season. While the state’s pink shrimp landings are not available yet for 2009, in 2008 they increased to 7.2 million pounds, up from 5.2 million pounds in 2007 but down from 10 million pounds in 2006.
