The size and weight of shrimps are difficult to interpret, but are having a huge influence on the price and quality of shrimps supplied to the market. In this article we would like to help you determine the real price and size of your selected shrimps. The size of shrimps is expressed as a number of pieces per kg for whole (head on, shell on) shrimps, and the number of pieces per lbs (= 454 grams) for all other forms such as peeled, headless, etc.
Glazing of shrimps
Frozen shrimps are glazed to prevent dehydration. The added weight of the ice layer is often sold as shrimp and the difference in weight can be substantial, sometimes 40% or more. Fraudulent declaration of net weight is abundant, not only is water sold as shrimp, but this also makes the size of the shrimp appear bigger (and thereby more expensive per kg). For you as a buyer, that’s a double disadvantage: less weight and smaller shrimp! Apart from glazing, water is also added by using additives. This can add 20-25% more water, reducing the quality of the shrimps and resulting in unhappy customers.
