According to AOL News Senior Public Health Correspondent Andrew Schneider, shrimp and other types of seafood from the Gulf after the oil spill should not be at the top of the list of consumer concerns at their local supermarkets. Americans consume more shrimp than any other seafood, on average about four pounds a year Schneider says.   He also claims that while environmentalists are very concerned about the lasting effects that the BP oil spill will have on gulf shrimp and seafood, despite tests that indicate that they "are free of any harmful levels of oil and dispersants," 90 percent of shrimp consumed in the United States are, in fact, imported. Top exporters of shrimp to the United States include China, Thailand, Ecuador, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Vietnam.  Schneider quotes Marianne Cufone of Fish and Water Watch who said:

"About 80 percent of the seafood we eat in the U.S. is imported, but less than 2 percent of those imports are actually inspected for contaminants like filth, antibiotics, chemicals and pathogens."

More often than not, shrimp which is farmed in overpopulated, densely packed areas in many Asian and South and Central American countries, is riddled with pathogens and pesticides. Recently, the FDA issued an "import alert" for seafood.  According to Schneider:

"The alert involved shipments from eight countries because of the known or suspected presence of unapproved or misused drugs in farm-raised shrimp, frog legs, tilapia, the catfish-like basa and other seafood. China led the alert with 15 separate companies out of the 40 cited for previous violations. "But often, investigators can't be sure where the fish actually originated. "As they do with "honey-laundering" scams, import brokers often ship seafood from countries like China to other countries to avoid high import tariffs and intensified scrutiny for dangerous adulterants. For example, in one case, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says millions of dollars of imported shrimp from Chinese producers were shipped through Indonesia to avoid paying steep anti-dumping duties."

The FDA has issued 34 alerts this year for seafood imported to the U.S. from all over the world, including "Farm-raised bass, shrimp, dace [a species of small fish], eel and catfish from China, which contained unsafe drugs and additives." It is no surprise that China's economic practices produce not only unsafe products, but food that is unfit for consumption as well. Concerned about what seafood to purchase next time you head to the market? There's an app for that!  Check out the Seafood Watch application for iPhone, which helps you choose sustainably produced and safe food for you and your family. Read more. ##