Ethical shopping - prawns

Post by Mo » 24 Jan 2008, 14:00

I read somewhere that you should buy one sort, rather than another.
Any idea why, and how to tell what you've got?

lancashire lass · Post by **lancashire lass** » 24 Jan 2008, 17:33

last month the media were really plugging air and sea miles of British food. It was apparently cheaper to ship the prawns caught off our shores to the far east than to use local labour, and THEN, ship it all back for the British to eat!

Unless there was another reason I don't know, and I couldn't tell you which one either :cry:

Post by Mo » 24 Jan 2008, 19:40

Thanks Anna for bringing up the other prawn thread, I had a vague idea it was something about not buying (or buying) Pacific prawns.

misty · Post by **misty** » 08 Feb 2008, 21:37

A lot of prawns are farmed in Asian countries(and I think Africa) and the mango swamps have been cleared to make room for them. Apparently this has been the cause of a lot of flooding as the mangos used to act as a sea break. If you have seen these you would realise this is totally feasable. Also these prawn and fish farms are cleaned out with chemical solutions which contaminate the local soil and coast line. I always ask if the fish is farmed because I think this is another good idea which is going to come back and hit us in the face with a wet fish!

Post by Mo » 08 Feb 2008, 22:22

I had a google and found
Looks as if there isn't an easy answer. If it was me I might go without but it's OH who buys them. I might influence him to buy one sort not another, but if they are all bad he might not believe any of it. He has stopped buying roast turkey though.
It never ends, does it, once you start thinking about what you're buying.

AnnaB · Post by **AnnaB** » 09 Feb 2008, 20:29

Hi misty
Thanks for the intelligent information. I would not buy farmed fish - too many antibiotics are given to them to keep them free from disease. I buy wild salmon in July and put it into the freezer for the rest of the year as a treat. It is very expensive but what price do we put on our health?
I too do not like to see other countries or more importantly animals exploited.
Many times I have posted that I do not buy from the usa because of their lack of principles/conscience.
I would rather become vegan than have only rubbish to eat - which will happen if more people do not become aware and opt for the cheap/easy shop.