At festival, seven vendors tested, seven sold Gulf shrimp

The company that found widespread availability of imported shrimp at the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in 2024 says all seven vendors tested in 2025 were found to be selling local, wild-caught shrimp.

That’s the word from SeaD consulting, which returned with its RIGHTTest genetic test.

On Labor Day weekend 2024, SeaD said, genetic testing at the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival uncovered an uncomfortable truth: Of five food vendors sampled, only one—WooDreaux's Cajun Cuisine—was serving authentic Gulf wild-caught shrimp.

“The rest were unknowingly offering imported, farm-raised shrimp just steps away from the Gulf of Mexico, in a town whose very identity was built on shrimping,” SeaD said in a press release.

This year, the seven vendors that passed the test were George’s Fine Foods, Bon Creole Seafoods, Kat Daddy’s Catering, Southern Concessions, Morgan Tin Tin, WooDreaux’s Cajun Cuisine and Kajun Seafood Shack.

The Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival now requires all food vendors to serve local wild-caught shrimp under its vendor rules. That standard of accountability mirrors the success of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2024, where
SeaD testing confirmed that all but one sampled dish featured authentic Gulf shrimp.

As an ongoing trend for festivals to serve authentic wild-caught U.S. shrimp, the new Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans, scheduled for Oct. 18-19 this year, required only Gulf shrimp be served at its inception in 2024. SeaD also RIGHTTested every vendor at that festival last year and found 100% compliance for authenticity.

“Consumers deserve honesty, and shrimping communities deserve fairness,” said Dave Williams, CEO of SeaD Consulting, in a press release. “Thanks to the leadership of festivals like the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival, Jazz Fest and the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans, and the support of our funders, we’re seeing real change that helps both diners and the men and women who make their living on the water.”

The progress in Morgan City highlights how accountability provided by genetic testing, media coverage of the results and partnerships with industry groups are making a measurable impact, SeaD said. With the support of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force and the Southern Shrimp Alliance, SeaD Consulting continues targeted genetic testing at restaurants and high-profile festivals across the Gulf South.

“I never thought that one call to SeaD Consulting last year could make such a change,” said Kermit Duck, multigenerational commercial shrimper in Morgan City. “I am now proud of the festival that finally represents Louisiana shrimpers. Without the exposure in the press last year, visitors to the festival would likely still be served imported shrimp. Buy local, buy wild all-natural seafood and support the coastal community!”

The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force advises the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and related agencies on protecting and promoting the state’s wild shrimp industry. The group works to strengthen transparency, local economies, and seafood quality for consumers.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance represents shrimp fishermen, processors, and businesses in the eight warm-water shrimp-producing states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. SSA funds multi-state investigations into seafood mislabeling to protect the domestic shrimp industry and consumers.