Test marketing of freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, in South Carolina

Abstract

A market testing study was conducted to examine the consumer and retailer acceptance for locally produced freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, in South Carolina. Data were collected from 103 consumers and 4 seafood retailers. The majority of consumers evaluated freshwater shrimp as similar to saltwater shrimp and about 89% were willing to purchase these shrimp from seafood stores. Consumers preferred the heads-off form (tails) and were willing to pay prices comparable to those received for saltwater shrimp. All retailers indicated that freshwater shrimp demonstrated high saleability in their outlets and that they would add this aquafood to existing product lines. The freshwater shrimp were sold as ungraded tails at prices ranging from $ 8.79–11.01/kg. If given a choice, the majority of retailers indicated a preference for fresh shrimp in the 78–110 tails/kg size category. However, 75% of the retailers marketed previously frozen shrimp tails with no difficulty and 50% of the retailers attempted marketing whole large shrimp. Other marketing opportunities for freshwater shrimp may include supermarkets, restaurants and hotels.