Shrimp farming: Shocking practices and supermarkets

Extrapolated on the basis of an average weight of 20 grams per animal, this corresponds to around 2.5 billion shrimp, meaning that Germans eat roughly four times as many shrimp as chickens.

A new investigation by the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW) now sheds light on serious Animal welfare problems in shrimp production. Practices were documented on farms in India, Indonesia and Guatemala. There, breeding females often have one eye removed to stimulate reproduction. In addition, shrimp are usually placed alive in ice water before processing, where they slowly suffocate or freeze to death.

We now know from numerous studies that shrimp and other crustaceans are sentient, says Dr Kathrin Herrmann, a European veterinary specialist in animal welfare. The common method of immobilising animals using ice baths often fails to stun them reliably. This means a slow, agonising death. An animal-welfare-compliant solution would be an immediately effective stunning method, ideally electrical.

Affected products in German supermarkets

According to the ICAW, Aldi's own-brand shrimp products could also originate from the affected regions. An accompanying market analysis has shown that other major German supermarkets, including Rewe, also offer shrimp from these countries.

Customer reactions

Footage shown on site led to clear criticism from consumers. "Animals are having their eyes cut off while still alive. That's 100 per cent wrong," said a customer outside an Aldi branch in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Another passer-by demanded: "Aldi must review its supply chains and clearly label the origin."

Although Aldi and Rewe have recently acknowledged the problem, binding changes are still pending. According to the current state of affairs, removing the eyestalks of prawns remains permitted until at least 2031. A possible ban on ice-water stunning is also not yet in sight.

Demands from animal welfare organisations

"Customers are shocked when they find out that prawns have their eyes cut off," says Jonas Becker of the International Council for Animal Welfare. "We are calling for a ban on this practice and a guarantee of effective electrical stunning, from Aldi and all German supermarkets."

Addendum: Aldi sets deadlines for prawn welfare

Half a year after the ICAW's investigation, Aldi has reacted. In April 2026, Aldi Süd announced it would rule out the removal of prawns' eyestalks from 2030 onwards and introduce electrical stunning or an equivalent animal-welfare-compliant method for all farmed prawns by 2035. A few days later, Aldi Nord followed suit for its own-brand products: eyestalk ablation is to end by 2029 for whiteleg prawns and by 2030 for giant prawns. A study on stunning methods is running until 2028, with the changeover due to be completed by 2035.

The ICAW speaks of a commitment affecting around 2.14 billion animals each year. Lidl states that since January 2026 it no longer permits eyestalk ablation in the supply chains of its internationally negotiated standard own-brand range, but for the time being continues to use ice water for killing and intends to await research findings. No comparably concrete deadlines have yet been announced by Rewe or Edeka.

Until these commitments take effect, removing the eyestalks and killing in ice water remain common practice in many places, and these are voluntary self-commitments, not legal requirements. Research on the fact that crustaceans feel pain is also covered in the article that Wild beim Wild reported on in Study: Crabs and lobsters feel pain. Why quality labels offer little guarantee here is explained in the article What does sustainably produced seafood mean?