Importers fight back with negative ad campaign

A coalition of US shrimp importers launched a print ad campaign today warning consumers about potential price increases on shrimp if the US International Trade Commission impose duties on imported farmed product.

The headline of the ad, paid for by the CITAC/ASDA Shrimp Task Force, reads, “Shrimp Tariffs are enough to make you lose your Appetite,” and features photos of two identical plates of shrimp.

Under one plate is a caption that reads, “$10.99 Fried Shrimp Dinner Before Tariffs.” Beneath the other photo is a caption: $15.99 Fried Shrimp Dinner After Tariffs.”

The ad also provides facts regarding he shrimp trade case, outlining the threat that a new food tax in the form of duties would have on shrimp prices and US jobs.

The advertisement appeared Wednesday in USA Today, Thursday in The Hill, and may appear in other publications in the coming weeks.

“We wanted to make consumers aware that this trade case will have a direct impact on the wallets of all Americans who enjoy shrimp,” said Russ Mentzer, President and CEO of King and Prince Seafood in Brunswick, Georgia, and a member of the Shrimp Task Force, in a statement. “Consumers need to know that a victory for the petitioners in this case means that they will be paying higher prices for shrimp at restaurants and in grocery stores and retail outlets. It’s that simple …if the domestic shrimpers win, the American consumer loses.”

On July 6, the Department of Commerce announced preliminary margins on shrimp imports from China ranging from 0.04 percent to 112.81 percent, and from Vietnam ranging from 12.11 percent to 93.13 percent. These duties will take effect in approximately one week. The Commerce Department denied the domestic shrimpers’ demand that these duties be applied retroactively to Vietnam, but accepted the demand for certain China-based exporters.

The Shrimp Task Force claims the antidumping measures could cause prices for all shrimp sold in the U.S. to soar as high as 44%, and that such a price hike could be accompanied by a one-third fall in shrimp consumption.

In addition, in a survey of the country’s top 200 chain restaurants, Food Beat, Ind. Found that offerings of shrimp menu items increased 47% during the last five years. A third study shows a sharp increase in grocery store and retail purchases of shrimp by American consumers of all income levels during the past several years.