| Harvesting |
Chicken of the Sea's farm-raised shrimp
are removed from ponds at night to prevent degradation caused by the heat of
daytime sun. Shrimp are immediately packed in ice and delivered to a processing
facility. |
| Receiving |
Shrimp arrive at the processing facility and
are immediately placed in a staging cooler. The temperature in this cooler
is held close to, but not at, freezing to keep the shrimp as fresh as possible
without actually freezing them prior to processing. |
| Grading |
Shrimp are graded, which refers to the process
of examining the shrimp for size and quality. Shrimp not meeting quality specifications
are rejected..
|
| Processing |
Frozen shrimp is processed and sold in many
ways, including removal of the head, shell (peeling), vein (deveining) and
tail. Shrimp to be sold in various processed states are delivered to processing
lines designed to perform these activities. Some shrimp are processed by machine;
however, frozen shrimp are generally large enough to be processed by hand. |
| Cooking |
For added convenience, some frozen shrimp are
sold pre-cooked. Shrimp to be sold cooked are sent to large boiling tanks,
which are operated within specified temperatures and cook time. Cooked shrimp
are cooled quickly to maintain quality. |
| Freezing |
After grading, processing and/or cooking, shrimp
are placed on a sterilized conveyer belt and sent through a quick-freezing
tunnel. This process is known as IQF (individual quick freezing). |
| Packing/Sealing |
Shrimp emerge from the IQF tunnel and are immediately
placed in airtight bag pouches. The bags are sealed and packed in master cases,
which are immediately delivered to cold storage (a refrigerated warehouse where
product is kept in a frozen state). |
| Finished Product Evaluation |
Samples of each finished production code receive
qualitative (e.g., color, odor, flavor, texture and cleaning) and quantitative
evaluations prior to being released for shipment. |
| Warehousing & Shipping |
Finished product is shipped or staged in cold
storage for later shipment. |
Frozen
Shrimp Processing
